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Progressive District Attorney George Gascon survived two recall efforts but he did not survive last night’s election. He lost by more than 20 points to Nate Hochman who presented himself as a moderate Democrat.
Hochman, who polls long predicted would oust Gascón, held a commanding 23-point lead based on early returns, outpacing the progressive incumbent by more than half a million votes. Gascón called Hochman to concede early Wednesday morning.
“The rightward shift across America last night is heartbreaking. Democrats have a long road ahead, but the work is more vital than ever and our commitment will not waver,” Gascón said in a statement, referencing President-elect Donald Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris.
Returns as of Wednesday morning showed Hochman receiving more than 1.4 million votes and Gascón around 890,000 — or about 61% to 38% in favor of the challenger.
It was a blowout and Hochman didn’t hold back when claiming his victory was a clear mandate for change to Gascon’s “pro-criminal extreme policies.”
The voters of Los Angeles County have spoken and have said enough is enough of D.A. Gascon’s pro-criminal extreme policies; they look forward to a safer future. As D.A., I look forward to representing all of the people, whether they voted for me or not, since their safety will be…— Nathan Hochman (@NathanHochmanDA) November 6, 2024
Gascon was a truly terrible DA who always put the concerns of criminals ahead of victims. He also seems like an angry and fragile personality. He has been sued multiple times for retaliation by his own employees. He has already lost one case in which he testified on his own behalf and could still lose several more. His commitment to his extreme ideology might not waiver but he won’t be in charge of dispensing justice in the largest county in the United States.
And it turns out that was just the start of the housecleaning that took place last night. In Alameda County, progressive DA Pamela Price was recalled. Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao was also recalled.
Voters in the East Bay appear to have delivered pretty decisive victories to the recall campaigns targeting Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and District Attorney Pamela Price. Based on votes counted as of Wednesday morning, the recall of Thao is passing with 65% “yes” votes, and the recall of Price is passing with a strikingly similar margin.
The recall of Price, which has been framed as a backlash against progressive views of criminal justice and a push for more punitive prosecutions of those who commit crimes, was fairly widely predicted.
