California: Law and Order is Back

Nathan Hochman (left) and George Gascón Photos: Nathan Hochman for LA County District Attorney/Campaign ad via YouTube; Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images

Two recent polls show Los Angeles’ liberal reform District Attorney, George Gascón, is losing his reelection by more than two to one. He is trailing his opponent, Nathan Hockman, by 24 points (44% to 20%). Gascón, a Democrat in an overwhelmingly Democratic city, has been behind in several polls for months. There is still a third of the electorate undecided. A new LA Times poll by Berkeley IGS shows Gascón behind 51 percent to 21 percent. The USC/CSU Long Beach/Cal Poly Pomona poll of September 30 was sponsored by Channel 2, NBC.

The same pollsters show getting tough on crime is the public’s position today, with 60% of LA voters supporting Proposition 36’s goal to increase penalties for retail theft and crimes involving fentanyl (Berkeley IGS) (58% support Prop. 36 on USC et al. poll).