Progressive California Prosecutor Struggles vs. Conservative Challenger

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón, elected in 2020 amid a wave of criminal justice reform, is now trailing his conservative challenger, Nathan Hochman, by 30 points, according to recent polling.

Hochman, a former federal prosecutor, has capitalized on rising public concern over safety, criticizing Gascón’s approach to justice reform, particularly his refusal to seek the death penalty in cases and his use of what Hochman calls lenient sentencing policies.

Hochman has positioned himself in the race as “tough on crime,” emphasizing a commitment to restoring order in Los Angeles, where a number of high-profile criminal incidents have unsettled voters.

Polling reflects widespread voter dissatisfaction. A UC Berkeley poll, cosponsored by the Los Angeles Times, shows Hochman leading with 51 percent of likely voters, while Gascón lags behind with 21 percent and 28 percent say they are still undecided. Hochman’s campaign has focused on crime rates, featuring ads with testimonials from crime victims.

This represents a dramatic shift from the environment in which Gascón was first elected.

In 2020, with backing from national Democrats like Vice President Kamala Harris and progressive donors like George Soros, Gascón rode a national wave of police reform sentiment. He quickly implemented policies eliminating cash bail and reducing the state’s prison population.

But some public opinion has since shifted on the district attorney.

“George Gascón hasn’t changed at all in the last four years, but the world around him has changed dramatically,” said Dan Schnur, a political communications expert at USC, in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. Donors who once supported Gascón have largely vanished, with Hochman out-raising him 11 to 1.

While Gascón maintains that voters don’t need to choose between reform and safety, his campaign has struggled to resonate with a public increasingly concerned about rising crime.

Recent polls show that California voters are highly anxious about public safety and favor tough-on-crime measures like Proposition 36, in stark contrast to the police accountability movement many supported just four years ago.

Menendez Brothers Case Thrust Into Focus

Adding to Gascón’s focuses is the recent announcement that he may reconsider the sentences of Erik and Lyle Menendez, convicted in 1989 of killing their parents. The brothers were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in 1996.

Their extended family has advocated for their release, arguing that today’s greater awareness of sexual abuse might have resulted in a different verdict. Family members believe the brothers would not have been convicted of first-degree murder if tried today.

The brothers asked the court last year for a resentencing, after new evidence emerged that supported the defense claim that father, Jose Menendez, was a sexual abuser. The district attorney’s office has yet to respond to that petition, but Gascón said last week that he was taking it seriously.

Meanwhile, Hochman has accused Gascón of using the Menendez brothers case to distract from his failures in office, using the high-profile case to distract attention from an article about another murder case, in which a teen girl was given leniency and was later charged again after being released.