OC District Attorney Todd Spitzer romped to a landslide re-election in what turned out to be a raucous and often acrimonious campaign in which the first-term DA contended with determined and well-funded attacks by progressive opponent Pete Hardin and left-wing criminal justice advocates.
Spitzer campaigned as a prosecutor who is tough on criminals while pursuing common sense reforms in areas such as mental health. He contrasted his record and philosophy with that of the progressive DAs of cities Los Angeles and San Francisco, where voters are rebelling against the results of the de facto decriminalizing of whole categories of lawless behavior.
The heart of Spitzer’s message was summed up in his campaign hashtag #NoLAinOC, and it clearly struck a chord with Orange County voters.
Hardin’s platform of a more lenient approach to law enforcement proved unpopular with voters worried about rising lawlessness. For example, Hardin pledged to tackle “systemic racism” by never prosecute minors as adults, opposed the death penalty and cash bail, and promised to end the use of sentence enhancements for criminals based on gang membership and use of a gun in commission of a crime.
The lopsided result is noteworthy given the the rash of negative media coverage during the spring, and the amount of money spent against Spitzer. More than $1 million was spent to defeat Spitzer by his opponents and independent expenditure committees funded by George Soros and affiliate progressive interests. Spitzer himself raised more than $2.5 million.
To give it perspective, Tony Rackauckas won a fifth term in 2014 with 73% of the vote – but against an unknown opponent whose campaign was virtually non-existent.
Spitzer characterized his overwhelming win as voter vindication for his approach to public safety.
“Thank you to the residents of Orange County for prioritizing public safety and re-electing me as your District Attorney,” Spitzer said via Twitter. “As crime skyrocketed in cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco, I vigorously and consistently prosecuted violent criminals while also defending victims’ rights. Voters showed up to the polls and overwhelmingly supported my 30-year public service commitment.”
“While votes are still being counted, it appears our effort to bring reform to the OC District Attorney’s Office will not be successful,” Hardin conceded on Twitter.
Spitzer’s win took place in the larger context of a public debate over starkly different visions of law and order. A number of progressive candidates, backed by substantial campaign spending from left-wing interest groups, have been elected top prosecutor in major cities such as New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle and Los Angeles. They promised to improve public safety by not prosecuting of violators of “quality of life” laws, and treating the “root causes” of crime. The result has been an explosion of crime and rising disorder. This has provoked a voter backlash.
While two-thirds of Orange County voters voted to re-elect Spitzer, left-wing San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin was recalled by the same margin. Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon will likely face a recall this year.
On one hand, this result is a mandate for Todd and what he’s done for public safety,” said campaign spokesman Tim Lineberger. “It’s also a referendum on the pro-criminal movement and policies of Los Angeles and San Francisco.”
