Gascón, Hochman lead the race for LA County District Attorney
The primary election has narrowed down the crowded race for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office to two top candidates.
Out of the 12 running to become the top prosecutor in the county, District Attorney George Gascón and Nathan Hochman, a former U.S. assistant attorney general appear to be headed to a November runoff.
Neither candidate earned more than 50% of the vote. Unofficial results show Gascón with just 21.4% of the "yes" votes, and Hochman garnering 17.7% of the votes.
Jonathan Hatami, a child abuse prosecutor in the District Attorney's Office, placed third with 13.4%.
Related: California Primary 2024: Local Super Tuesday results for LA, OC and IE
It was unclear how many countywide ballots from Tuesday's election still need to be tallied, or how many were submitted by mail by Tuesday's deadline but have not yet been received.
George Gascón
Contentious would be a fair way to describe George Gascón's first term as LA County District Attorney. Despite this, Gascón boasts that major crime is down across the county and that Angelenos are safer than two years ago. He also claims to have the backing of top-rate officers including former police chiefs. Gascón faces an uphill battle to be re-elected as Los Angeles County District Attorney as polls show that 51% of residents disapprove of his job performance.
Nathan Hochman
Former federal prosecutor Nathan Hochman, who raised the most money out of the three challengers, has spent $1 million on advertisements. Like his opponents, Hochman supports enhancement charges — specifically for guns and gangs. He also believes in seeking the death penalty, but only for the most heinous crimes. He unsuccessfully ran for state attorney general in 2022 as a Republican.
