Multnomah County voters elect Nathan Vasquez as DA, ousting one-term incumbent Mike Schmidt

[SouthBayDem]

Source: The Oregonian

Nathan Vasquez, a career Multnomah County prosecutor, has defeated one-term incumbent District Attorney Mike Schmidt.

Partial returns show Vasquez with 56% of the vote to Schmidt’s 44%.

The Oregonian/OregonLive determined Schmidt has no statistical path to victory. That’s despite two factors in his favor – he won a majority of last-minute votes that were tallied Wednesday and is therefore likely to win a hefty share of the remaining 40,000-plus ballots yet to be counted.

[...]

In a bruising campaign that split the Multnomah County DA’s office and shattered fundraising records, Vasquez highlighted what he described as Schmidt’s failure to lead as the region confronted multiple public safety crises.

Read more: https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2024/05/multnomah-county-voters-elect-nathan-vasquez-as-da-ousting-one-term-incument-mike-schmidt.html

---

Portland is the main population center of Multnomah County, and Schmidt won with 77% of the popular vote in 2020.

Comparing the precinct-by-precinct results vs. the official map, there are multiple precincts in the city of Portland not just the suburbs that voted for Vasquez (examples: 3303 and 3306 in the city center). The precinct with the PDX airport went 66% for Vasquez! And some areas that are expected to be more progressive due to having colleges - precinct 2803 (Portland State University) and precinct 4403 (University of Portland, private religious university) - barely got past 50% for Schmidt.

[peppertree]

1. Here's to Nate Vazquez and the good people of Portland!

[maxsolomon]

2. At a certain point, everyone has Bourgeois feels.

I'm in Portland quite a bit now, and the impression I get is drug-addled squalor, no matter where you go, no matter how vibrant the neighborhood is commercially. I'm not the only one who feels that way.

The vehicle campers, fentanyl zombies, unmedicated schizophrenics, and Grafitti "artists" aren't particularly dangerous, but they don't make for pleasant urban experiences, either.

I'm not saying Seattle is any better - maybe 5% less squalid. We too, have turned from ultra-permissive policies and ultra-progressive councilmembers and city attorneys back to some semblance of law-and-order that aims to "clean up" the city (much to the outrage of our left-of-left progressives). Clearing homeless encampments along the highway, prosecuting open meth and fentanyl use when it becomes problematic, etc.

In Portland, at least, Spray Paint is a controlled substance, and there's a hotline to call when a camper sets up next to your property.

[oasis]

3. What a thumping!