A slew of left-wing district attorneys and candidates in large American cities were up for election on Tuesday, and most were sent packing.
Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price, San Francisco County District Attorney candidate Ryan Khojasteh, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon and Maricopa County District Attorney candidate Tamika Wooten were rejected by voters, according to the Associated Press. Crime was a hotly debated issue this election season, with 75% of voters saying crime is very or somewhat important to their decisions at the ballot box, according to a Gallup poll released Oct. 9.
Many of the district attorneys owe a significant portion of their campaigns’ finances to funding from left-wing billionaire George Soros, who gave money to Price’s campaign in 2020, as well as Harris County Democratic candidate Sean Teare in Texas this year. Former Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon also received Soros money for his 2020 campaign.
Price was recalled in a landslide, losing her seat by over 25 points. Now, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors will appoint her successor until the next district attorney election in 2026, according to ABC 7 News.
Under Price, crime in the county surged, with auto theft in 2023 more than doubling, robbery increasing 19%, burglaries 14% and theft under $200 in value increasing 31%, according to county statistics. Violent crime also spiked in Oakland, the county’s largest city, by 21% during just the first ten months she was in office.
Price was recalled alongside Mayor Sheng Thao, who lost her bid to stay in office by a wide margin as well, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Thao has also faced criticism for her mismanagement of crime, with Oakland Police Officers’ Association President Huy Nguyen telling the Daily Caller News Foundation that managing the Oakland Police was like “trying to keep a patient in the ICU alive.”
Polling in the run-up to the election was close, with 41% supporting her and 37% supporting the recall, with a 4.9% margin of error, according to a July Binder research poll.
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins defended her seat from left-wing challenger Ryan Khojasteh, who worked for the recalled former District Attorney Chesa Boudin, according to multiple sources. Jenkins, who has received praise for her tougher crime policy compared to her predecessor, will serve her first full four-year term.
Khojasteh advocated for reducing incarceration rates, giving police officers “culturally relevant” training and increasing oversight, according to his campaign website. However, he attempted to distance himself from his former boss Boudin during the race, with him not seeking her endorsement, according to an interview with Mission Local in June.
Gascon and District Attorney Larry Krasner in Pennsylvania, both funded by left-wing billionaire George Soros, endorsed Khojasteh, according to his campaign website.
Jenkins increased the yearly number of convictions in the city for the first time in eight years in 2023, according to city data. Many metrics of crime in San Francisco decreased in 2023, with homicide down 7% from 2022, larceny theft down 11% and rape down 7.2%, according to San Francisco Police Department data.
Teare beat Republican Dan Simons in the Harris County race, according to multiple sources. Teare campaigned on protecting abortion, reducing punishments for drug crimes and instituting bail reform, according to his campaign website.
Simons, in contrast, advocated for “tough” prosecution of criminals “to the fullest extent of the law” as well as opposing cashless bond, according to his campaign website.
Teare received $1.7 million in campaign contributions in 2023, with a portion of the funds coming from the Soros-backed Texas Justice and Public Safety PAC, according to The Houston Chronicle.
In Maricopa County, Arizona, Republican incumbent Rachel Mitchell beat Democrat Tamika Wooten by a healthy margin, according to the Associated Press. Mitchell oversaw a 26% decrease in the crime rate of the county from 2021 to 2022, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office data.
Wooten’s campaign emphasized “alternatives” for incarceration for “minor offenses” in order to reduce the jailed population, according to her campaign website. She was endorsed by Democratic Arizona Rep. and Senate candidate Ruben Gallego and Tempe, Arizona, Mayor Corey Woods.
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