Los Angeles District Attorney Gascón Falls Behind Challenger Hochman in Early Results

(L) Former federal prosecutor Nathan Hochman. (Courtesy of Nathan Hochman for LA District Attorney 2024); (R) Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón. Public Domain

Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón’s bid for reelection appeared to be in peril as he fell behind his opponent in early results on Election Day.

His challenger Nathan Hochman, a former U.S. assistant attorney, earned more than 61 percent of votes as of 9:45 p.m. on Nov. 5, according to Los Angeles County unofficial preliminary results from elections officials. Gascón garnered less than 39 percent of the vote.

The race is one of the most watched in Los Angeles County, pitting the incumbent district attorney, who faced criticisms over his criminal justice reform policies, against a fellow Democratic Party challenger who says he would be tougher on criminals.

“Gascón must go! Return to Sanity. Return to Safety. Return to Justice,” Hochman posted on social media Tuesday.

Hochman said he cast his vote at Paul Revere Middle School in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

“It’s the most important DA race in county history, as I have a chance to use my 34 years of criminal justice experience to restore public safety in LA County,” he said in a separate post on Facebook.

Hochman was endorsed by former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who encouraged Los Angeles residents to vote for him.

“He’s a no-nonsense public servant, not a party servant, who will fight crime for all of us,” Schwarzenegger posted on X Tuesday morning.

Hochman and Schwarzenegger both endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris during the national presidential campaign season.

On Monday, Gascón promoted his efforts to give criminals second chances. At the end of October, he petitioned the court to grant release to the Menendez brothers, who were convicted of killing their parents at their Beverly Hills home in 1989.

Erik and Lyle Menendez, who were 21 and 18 at the time, were sentenced to life without the possibility of parole during a second trial in 1996.

Gascón cited a recent documentary released on Netflix about the Menendez brothers’ case, highlighting their sexual abuse claims against their father. The movie prompted several calls to his office in favor of resentencing them, he told reporters on Oct. 24.

On Oct. 30, Gascón joined the Menendez defense attorney’s effort to petition Gov. Gavin Newsom to grant the brothers clemency, which could result in a sentence reduction or pardon.

Since he took office, Gascón claims his office had successfully sought the resentencing of more than 320 people, including 28 murderers. Only four had reoffended, he said.

In a post on Instagram’s threads Monday, Gascón said one of those resentenced was Prince Akili, an actor who is known for roles on “Die Hard with a Vengeance” and “The Cosby Show.” Akili was tried as an adult and sentenced to 30 years in prison for attempted murder and served 17 years before he was resentenced.

“We should try to give people a second opportunity,” Gascón said in a video posted on Instagram Monday. “Wrongful convictions are a thing that needs to be attended to.”

He urged voters to support him because “there’s too much at stake.”

Gascón, a former LAPD officer and assistant police chief,  described his opponent as an attorney who defended “billionaire tax evaders.”

“This election will be so consequential both at the national level and at the state and the local level,” he said in the video.

The embattled district attorney, who was first elected in 2020, survived two recall efforts during his first term from groups claiming the district attorney’s policies weakened sentences for violent criminals and restricted prosecutors from seeking sentencing enhancements.

Both attempts to unseat him failed to qualify with the county clerk’s office.

Farida Baig, whose father Shahid Ali Baig was murdered in 1980, speaks at a press conference by supporters of an effort to recall Los Angeles District Attorney Gascon in Los Angeles on Dec. 6, 2021. Mario Tama/Getty Images

The second recall effort, spearheaded by the Recall DA George Gascón organization, submitted signatures to the county clerk’s office but was told they didn’t have enough signatures. According to the county, the recall effort fell short of the nearly 567,000 signatures required after several were disqualified, including 367 who were allegedly dead.

The county’s Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s Office announced in 2023 that it would seek a review by the state’s Attorney General’s Office.

Gascón called the recall effort a “right-wing attempt.”

A crime wave of smash-and-grab retail theft, follow-home robberies, burglaries, and other high-profile crimes has crept over the county in the past few years.

In the March primary election, Gascón claimed 25 percent of the vote cast against 11 challengers.

Hochman earned nearly 16 percent of the primary vote, but it was enough to place him in second among the candidates, allowing him to advance to the general election.