California- Orange County Law and Order D.A. Dominates in High Stakes Race

 


The first round of election night results show Orange County DA Todd Spitzer trouncing his three challengers seeking to control one of the most powerful offices in the region – and possibly on track to win the race outright without a runoff.

Spitzer, who was endorsed by the OC Republican Party, was leading 62% to criminal defense attorney Peter Hardin’s 20%, in the first results posted at 8:05 p.m.

The other two challengers – U.S. Department of Justice lawyer Bryan Chehock and former DA prosecutor Mike Jacobs – trailed at 10% and 8%, respectively.

About 253,000 ballots have been counted so far, representing 14% of all registered voters in OC – though additional ballots will be counted and reported later this evening and in the coming days.

If Spitzer’s lead ends up about 50% of the vote after all ballots are counted, he will not face a runoff in November.

No local race drew as much attention in the primary election cycle as District Attorney, one of the most powerful positions in Orange County.

* * * *

Spitzer ran on a platform of being tough on violent crime and protecting Orange County residents from the kind of LA crime wave he says is happening under LA County’s progressive DA George Gascón.

Hardin ran on a platform of criminal justice reform, including diversion programs for defendants dealing with mental health, drug and alcohol issues; ending the death penalty; and putting decisions on prosecuting police under an independent watchdog rather than the DA’s office.

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