LOS ANGELES, CA - Los Angeles County's incumbent Democrat prosecutor may see his days in an office coming to a close- with a campaign challenger opening up a massive lead against George Gascón in a new poll.
Independent Nathan Hochman held a whopping thirty percentage point lead over Gascón in the Tuesday poll, conducted by the Los Angeles Times and the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies. The challenger holds 51 percent of total support, with Gascón trailing with a distant 21 percent. The rest of polled voters were undecided.
Gascón has roused ire even from progressive Democrats with his policies. Critics allege the progressive prosecutor has turned the county's justice system into a de facto revolving door- in which hardened criminals are released from jails with ease, and are so under-charged by Gascón's office as so that they find their way back into communities to commit more crimes after finishing their brief sentences.
“I call myself a bleeding heart liberal, anti-gun and voted for Gascón because I thought he was going to be sensible and make reforms like he promised," one former Gascón supporter said of their feelings regarding the Democrat in a New York Post interview.
“Since he took office, it has just been the opposite to a point where we feel like we can’t walk in our own neighborhoods anymore. We are f—ing terrified because these start out as low-level crimes, but it has gradually exploded. These criminals are not getting prosecuted and they know it. It’s off the rails.”
Hochman is running as an independent, but was a registered Republican as recently as 2023 and served in George W. Bush's administration. His victory would represent a major anomaly in Los Angeles County, known nationwide as a Democratic electoral stronghold.
The former federal prosecutor pledged to restore a culture of accountability for criminals if elected, speaking in a debate with the incumbent last week.
Critics of Gascón's record point to an increase in retail theft and petty crime in the county under the progressive prosecutor's tenure, which began in 2020. Small business owners and community members have described conditions in which thieves are free to steal almost at will. Gascón openly announced sweeping new policies in which a wide range of misdemeanor crimes would no longer be prosecuted by his office in 2020, according to Fox News.
The contest between the two candidates will be decided in the Nov. 5 general election.
Independent Nathan Hochman held a whopping thirty percentage point lead over Gascón in the Tuesday poll, conducted by the Los Angeles Times and the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies. The challenger holds 51 percent of total support, with Gascón trailing with a distant 21 percent. The rest of polled voters were undecided.
Gascón has roused ire even from progressive Democrats with his policies. Critics allege the progressive prosecutor has turned the county's justice system into a de facto revolving door- in which hardened criminals are released from jails with ease, and are so under-charged by Gascón's office as so that they find their way back into communities to commit more crimes after finishing their brief sentences.
“I call myself a bleeding heart liberal, anti-gun and voted for Gascón because I thought he was going to be sensible and make reforms like he promised," one former Gascón supporter said of their feelings regarding the Democrat in a New York Post interview.
“Since he took office, it has just been the opposite to a point where we feel like we can’t walk in our own neighborhoods anymore. We are f—ing terrified because these start out as low-level crimes, but it has gradually exploded. These criminals are not getting prosecuted and they know it. It’s off the rails.”
Hochman is running as an independent, but was a registered Republican as recently as 2023 and served in George W. Bush's administration. His victory would represent a major anomaly in Los Angeles County, known nationwide as a Democratic electoral stronghold.
The former federal prosecutor pledged to restore a culture of accountability for criminals if elected, speaking in a debate with the incumbent last week.
Critics of Gascón's record point to an increase in retail theft and petty crime in the county under the progressive prosecutor's tenure, which began in 2020. Small business owners and community members have described conditions in which thieves are free to steal almost at will. Gascón openly announced sweeping new policies in which a wide range of misdemeanor crimes would no longer be prosecuted by his office in 2020, according to Fox News.
The contest between the two candidates will be decided in the Nov. 5 general election.
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