Los Angeles County District Atty. George Gascón and former federal prosecutor Nathan Hochman jumped to an early lead in a crowded field of candidates vying for the county's top prosecutor's job.
As of 9pm on Tuesday, Gascón led the group with 22% of the vote, followed by Hochman with 18%. District representative. Atty. Jonathan Hatami, long a thorn in Gascón's side and popular among victims' rights advocates, was the only other candidate to do in double figures, taking 12% in early returns.
Although polls show Gascón has become deeply unpopular with a large portion of Los Angeles County residents, pollsters and local political observers have indicated that his strong progressive base will pull him out of a crowded primary field filled with challengers who have spent more time attacking him more than they did. Determine their own nominations.
Four years after taking office on a popular platform of criminal justice reform in the wake of the 2020 killing of George Floyd, Gascón finds himself facing a different political landscape this primary cycle. Multiple polls showed the incumbent with a disapproval rating of more than 50%, and a combination of frustrations with his policies and perceived weakness has led 11 candidates to challenge him.
“We have already learned that about three-quarters of the population of Los Angeles County has rejected George Gascón,” Hochman said to loud cheers during a speech at the Lux Hotel in Brentwood. “These are people who are afraid.”
He added: “It is time to fire George Gascón,” amid loud echoes of his “expulsion.”
Gascón spent the early evening fielding reporters' questions in Grand Park in the shadow of the downtown criminal courthouse. The incumbent said he feels good about his chances and plans to watch the results show with his family at his home in Long Beach.
“This was a hard-fought primary, we had a lot of community support, but obviously it was very hotly contested,” he said.
To be sure, Gascón had some successes in his tenure — including intensified efforts to exonerate the wrongfully convicted and an increased focus on prosecuting police officers accused of misconduct and excessive use of force — but his tenure was rocked by public disagreements with prosecutors and prosecutors. A series of civil lawsuits have already cost the county nearly $7 million. A judge deemed some of his reforms illegal in 2021, and his critics have directly blamed his policies for heinous crimes.
Property crimes and violence rose in Los Angeles County from 2019 to 2022, according to California Department of Justice data. But other counties with more traditional prosecutors saw violent crimes rise at much higher rates in the same time frame, a data point Gascón often emphasizes. LAPD data also shows that homicides and robberies have declined over the past two years, and criminologists say it's disingenuous to blame solely district attorney policies for higher or lower crime rates.
Gascón's pursuit team includes four prosecutors from within his office, three judges and two former federal prosecutors. With resumes and letters that largely mirrored each other — 10 of the 11 contenders promised to roll back nearly all of the policies Gascón announced during his inaugural address — it became difficult for any contender to stand out from the pack.
Hochman, who ran unsuccessfully for state attorney general in 2022 as a Republican, raised the most money in the primary. Hochman, now running as an independent, has promised to “take the politics out” of an office that he says has become increasingly partisan by Gascón and the broader movement of progressive prosecutors across the country. Dozens of Hochman supporters enjoyed a selection of cheeses and mini crème brûlées as they awaited early results Tuesday evening. Concertgoers eagerly updated the early election results and cheered as Hochman advanced.
“We're very cautiously optimistic that we'll finish on top,” Hochman said between selfies with cheering supporters. “Once we are sure we are in the top two, George Gascon's trial begins.”
Although he favors alternative sentencing outcomes for nonviolent defendants with mental illness or drug addiction, Hochman has also promised to seek the death penalty in some cases and take advantage of sentencing enhancements for gang and gun crimes, measures that can sometimes double prison time for some Cases. Defendants. Critics have argued that enhancements are disproportionately used against people of color.
Former federal prosecutor Jeff Chemerinsky, who ran as a moderate candidate who could balance reform and justice, was one of the only candidates to embrace criminal justice reform while challenging Gascón. He has raised the second-most money in the field and is seen by political observers as a serious contender as a centrist Democratic alternative to Gascón, but his moderate message may have had a hard time finding receptive ears in a race largely characterized by bombastic rhetoric and concerns about crime. As of 9 p.m., he sat tied for fifth in the race, well out of contention.
“I ran a campaign that was true to my identity,” Chemerinsky said, as his supporters exchanged anxious glances at the preliminary results during a viewing party at Tea Boyle Pub in Pasadena, where a trivia contest played in the background.
Chemerinsky said he remains hopeful that Democrats who voted on Election Day will propel him into the running in November. He disagrees with much of what Gascón did, but he also said he would largely avoid trying juveniles as adults and has serious reservations about using gang enhancements. Such attitudes have prompted other rivals to describe him as a “mini Gascon”.
Hatami was one of the top three fundraisers in the field, and the firebrand prosecutor's long history of publicly criticizing Gascón and participating in attempts to recall the prosecutor made him popular among victims' rights advocates. He was the only candidate to break away from the pack in a USC/Dornsife poll earlier this year, receiving 8% of the vote and finishing second behind Gascón. Along with Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Debra Archuleta, he has been endorsed by the Los Angeles Police Protective League, the largest law enforcement union in Los Angeles County. Archuleta sat in fourth place in the polls as of 9 p.m., receiving about 9% of the vote.
Gascón emphasized that he did not believe any of his competitors made an objective case for how to do a better job as the county's top prosecutor.
“People can throw stones, they can say whatever they want to say,” he said Tuesday, adding that he hopes for a more policy-focused general election.
