In the final stretch before election day, both candidates vying for the position of Los Angeles County District Attorney held rallies Sunday.
In what many consider one of the most critical races this Nov. 5, incumbent DA George Gascón is fighting to hold onto his seat amid reports of eroding public support, opposition from his down deputy DA’s and a strong campaign from his opponent former Assistant U.S. Attorney General Nathan Hochman.
While Gascón has cut into the challenger’s lead in the polls, he remains 25 points down, the Los Angeles Times reports, with an estimated 25% of voters still undecided.
Often referred to as the “Godfather of progressive prosecutors, Gascón campaigned on a platform of change, condemning mass corruption and stressing police accountability, even opposing charging minors as adults and using gang and other sentence enhancements for criminals.
Despite suggestions that he cannot win the election, his campaign remains optimistic.
“The first term was about putting into place a whole lot of things and unfortunately, we were facing two recalls,” Gascón said. “So, it was a very difficult period of time. I believe that when we win and I believe that we will, we’ll get the opportunity to really enhance the safety of our community and do it in a way that is much more thoughtful.”
Hochman, a former federal prosecutor and Republican turned Independent, has not held back on his criticism of the current top prosecutor.
“I think Angelenos have let George Gascón run his social experiment for the last three and a half years and he has failed,” he said. “They feel less safe today than they did when he first came into office. I can restore that safety back to this community.”
Some observers believe Hochman’s GOP past could hurt him in the solid blue county, but to what degree remains unknown.
An estimated 54% of voters, according to The Times, said that the ability to prosecute violent crimes was the most important element in choosing which district attorney candidate to vote for.
