Nathan Vasquez, a career Multnomah County prosecutor, has defeated one-term incumbent District Attorney Mike Schmidt.
Partial returns as of Wednesday afternoon show Vasquez with 54% of the vote to Schmidt’s 46%.
The Oregonian/OregonLive determined Schmidt has no statistical path to victory. That’s despite two factors in his favor – he won a majority of last-minute votes that were tallied Wednesday and is therefore likely to win a hefty share of the remaining 40,000-plus ballots yet to be counted.
But Vasquez would need to capture only a third of the outstanding votes to clinch victory. And, given results so far, The Oregonian/OregonLive projects he will.
OREGON ELECTION 2024: Live Results Page | Election Page
Final results are likely to show a victory on the order of 52% to 47% for Vasquez -- a much closer margin than a 10- or 20-percentage-point blowout for Vasquez that a late April poll commissioned by The Oregonian/OregonLive suggested was possible. At that time, nearly 20% of county voters said they had yet to make a choice in the race.
Vasquez, 47, said he is “humbled by and grateful” for the community’s support. He said Schmidt called him to concede.
“The voters have made it clear that they are ready to take our county in a new and safer direction,” Vasquez said in a statement to The Oregonian/OregonLive.
As DA, he said he is “dedicated to fulfilling my campaign promises. I am committed to ending open air drug dealing and drug use while helping connect individuals to treatment, to rebuilding the broken relationships between the DA’s office and the community, and to ensuring that victims are the number one priority of my office.”
Schmidt’s campaign released a statement Wednesday acknowledging the results and pledging a “smooth transition.”
“Thank you to this amazing community for the support they have shown for this campaign,” he said. “And thank you for the opportunity to serve these past four years. It is an honor I will cherish for a lifetime.”
His campaign spokesperson, Andrew Rogers, said Schmidt intends to serve until the end of his term on Dec. 31.
Schmidt was thrust into office six months early when his predecessor, Rod Underhill, stepped down early amid weeks of civil unrest that roiled downtown Portland.
The salary for the four-year position increases to $272,725 in July.
Vasquez’s campaign leaned heavily on his experience as a prosecutor and advocate for crime victims.
In a bruising campaign that split the Multnomah County DA’s office and shattered fundraising records, Vasquez highlighted what he described as Schmidt’s failure to lead as the region confronted multiple public safety crises.
Schmidt, meanwhile, touted his policy work and initiatives intended to make the justice system more fair.
Nationally, Schmidt, 43, is the latest progressive DA to face defeat. Two years ago, San Francisco voters recalled reformer Chesa Boudin and the top prosecutor in Chicago, Kim Foxx, who also championed changes to the justice system, faced intense backlash and announced earlier this year she would not seek reelection.
Schmidt had previously worked for about six years as a Multnomah County prosecutor and eventually went on to lead the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission, a state agency charged with crunching criminal justice data for policymakers.
From the start, Schmidt faced intense criticism from within his own ranks. The union that represents prosecutors endorsed Vasquez.
Money poured into both campaigns, with Vasquez seeing strong support from downtown business interests and reform-minded donors, including a group with ties to Democratic megadonor George Soros, infusing Schmidt’s coffers with last-minute donations. Both candidates brought in more than $1 million each in contributions.
-- Noelle Crombie is an enterprise reporter with a focus on the justice system. Reach her at 503-276-7184; ncrombie@oregonian.
Our journalism needs your support. Subscribe today to OregonLive.com.
Stories by Noelle Crombie
- What’s next as new Multnomah County DA Nathan Vasquez prepares to take over
- Map shows where DA candidates Schmidt and Vasquez did best in Multnomah County
- Multnomah County prosecutor Nathan Vasquez leads incumbent Mike Schmidt in DA race
- Republican fundraisers ran afoul of Oregon liquor rules, investigation finds
- How to score Pappy Van Winkle and influence the OLCC: New records show clubby culture extended to powerful circles
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
