Progressive prosecutor in Portland, Oregon, seeks to fend off tough

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — In Oregon’s Multnomah County, home to Portland, the progressive district attorney who took office during the social justice movement of 2020 is being challenged by a candidate vowing to be tough on crime, highlighting the growing pressure on liberal prosecutors across the U.S. amid voter concerns over public drug use and disorder.

District Attorney Mike Schmidt’s term began as the police killing of George Floyd in Minnesota sparked nightly protests in Portland and a larger national conversation about criminal justice reform. But in the past four years, progressive DAs and candidates in liberal bastions ranging from the San Francisco Bay Area to Seattle have faced setbacks as frustrations over public safety and homelessness have risen.

Now, political experts are looking to Portland to see whether such issues could spur a similar shift in the city’s electorate. Schmidt is being challenged by one of his own deputies, Nathan Vasquez, a prosecutor in that office for over 20 years.