A tumultuous first term in office for Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón ended in a failed reelection bid, with challenger Nathan Hochman defeating him by a wide margin. Gascón swept into office in 2020 on a promise of reform and restorative justice, but Hochman — a former federal prosecutor and defense attorney — spent months painting the incumbent as responsible for increases in crime and homelessness. Gascón’s supporters and criminologists dispute that link, but Hochman’s message resonated with voters, with polls consistently forecasting his victory, reports the Los Angeles Times.
The first rounds of returns released Tuesday showed Hochman receiving more than 1.1 million votes and Gascón around 700,000 — or about 61% to 39% in favor of the challenger. "The voices of the residents of L.A. County have been heard and they’re saying enough is enough of George [Gascón’s] policies and they look forward to a safer future,” Hochman said. He praised many of the police officers and prosecutors who supported him, and said his victory was the result of a bipartisan coalition of people for whom safety was a “crossover issue” in divisive political times. He repeated promises to strip partisan politics from the district attorney’s office and treat “justice” as his client as top prosecutor. “We will go back to just two things: the facts and the law,” he said. Hochman, who endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris over the summer, has largely eschewed partisan politics, running as an independent with a “hard middle” approach to criminal justice. Gascón ousted veteran District Attorney Jackie Lacey in 2020, riding a wave of national anguish over the police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others early in the COVID-19 pandemic.
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