Mike Schmidt, the progressive prosecutor in Portland, Oregon, who held office during a tumultuous period of street protests, drug overdoses and violent crime, lost his seat to a colleague who has called for more aggressive prosecution of criminals, The Associated Press said Wednesday with.
Colleague Nathan Vasquez, an assistant district attorney in the Multnomah County district attorney’s office, had launched a campaign blaming Mr. Schmidt for the city’s recent problems. Mr. Schmidt, a Democrat, was among a number of progressive prosecutors across the country who vowed to transform the criminal justice system.
But in the years since Mr. Schmidt’s election in 2020, Portland voters have signaled interest in fighting crime and homelessness. As businesses fled the city center, people reported feeling unsafe on the streets. Homicides and overdoses rose sharply.
Mr. Vasquez called for a new approach and launched a bitter campaign against his boss. He promised to fight against unlawful behavior and petty crime, distinguishing himself from Mr. Schmidt, who won four years ago by pledging to stop focusing on petty crime.
Mr. Schmidt sought to highlight the progress made last year, when car thefts fell rapidly and homicides fell from a record high. He supported an attempt to partially roll back Oregon’s drug decriminalization law.
Mr. Vasquez, an independent who was previously a registered Republican, is the latest West Coast city official elected on a promise to get tougher on crime. In 2021, Seattle voters elected a Republican as the city’s district attorney after she promised more action on low-level crime. The next year, San Francisco voters recalled progressive prosecutor Chesa Boudin.
The office of district attorney in Portland is nonpartisan, and with only two candidates in the primary, Mr. Vasquez’s victory means he will take the office next year.
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2024-05-23 01:05:55
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