The 2024 Multnomah County District Attorney election was held on May 21, 2024, to elect the district attorney of Multnomah County, Oregon, which includes the state's largest city, Portland.[1]
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Senior deputy district attorney Nathan Vasquez defeated incumbent Mike Schmidt.[2]
Background
editSchmidt was elected in 2020 with 77% of the vote, despite his opponent receiving the incumbent's endorsement. He was appointed by governor Kate Brown to start his term earlier than expected, in order to replace Rod Underhill, who retired in the middle of his term.
Schmidt became known for his progressive policies.[3]
On May 24, 2023, senior deputy district attorney Nathan Vasquez announced his intention to run in the 2024 election.[4] He became known as the "tough on crime" candidate, receiving endorsements from public safety unions and prominent businessmen. He also received the endorsements of most of Portland's major newspapers.[5][6][7] In January 2024, Schmidt announced his intention to run for re-election.[8]
Candidates
editDeclared
edit- Mike Schmidt, incumbent district attorney[9]
- Nathan Vasquez, senior deputy district attorney[10]
Endorsements
editMike Schmidt
- Statewide officials
- Kate Brown, former Governor of Oregon[11]
- Barbara Roberts, former Governor of Oregon[12]
- Ellen Rosenblum, Oregon Attorney General[12]
- State legislators
- Local officials
- Jessica Vega Pederson, Multnomah County Chair[11]
- Individuals
- Organizations
- Newspapers
Nathan Vasquez
- U.S. representatives
- Kurt Schrader, former U.S. Representative from Oregon's 5th congressional district (2009–2023)[15]
- State legislators
- Mark Hass, former member of the Oregon State Senate from the 14th district[15]
- Local officials
- Randy Lauer, Mayor of Troutdale[15]
- Kevin Barton, Washington County District Attorney[15]
- Tony Golik, Clark County (WA) District Attorney[15]
- Individuals
- Tim Boyle, CEO of Columbia Sportswear[15]
- Lisa Schroeder, Owner of Mother's Bistro[15]
- Organizations
- Multnomah County Prosecuting Attorneys’ Association[11]
- Portland Firefighters Union[16]
- Gresham Police Officers’ Association[17][18]
- Gresham Professional Firefighters’ IAFF Local 1062[17][18]
- Multnomah County Deputy Sheriff’s Association[17][18]
- Portland Police Association[17][18]
- Portland Fire Fighters’ Association IAFF Local 43[17][18]
- Port of Portland Police Employees Association[17][18]
- Newspapers
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Nathan Vasquez | 100,873 | 53.3% | |
| Nonpartisan | Mike Schmidt | 87,679 | 46.3% | |
| Write-in | 865 | 0.5% | ||
| Total votes | 189,417 | 100% | ||
References
edit- ^ "Oregon elections, 2024". Ballotpedia. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
- ^ Peterson, Danny (May 22, 2024). "Mike Schmidt concedes Multnomah County District Attorney to challenger Nathan Vasquez". KOIN. Portland. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
- ^ Baker, Mike (May 21, 2024). "Progressive Prosecutor in Portland Faces Bitter Challenge From Co-Worker". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
- ^ Wilson, Conrad (May 24, 2023). "Multnomah County DA Mike Schmidt draws 2024 challenger from the inside". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Archived from the original on February 24, 2024. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
- ^ Manfield, Lucas (November 15, 2023). "Nathan Vasquez Builds a Big Fundraising Lead in District Attorney Race". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on May 2, 2024. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
- ^ The Oregonian Editorial Board (May 3, 2024). "Editorial endorsement May 2024: Vote for Nathan Vasquez for Multnomah County DA". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on May 3, 2024. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
- ^ WW Staff (May 1, 2024). "WW's May 2024 Endorsements: Multnomah County". Willamette Week. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
- ^ "'This is a hopeful place': Multnomah County DA Mike Schmidt seeks re-election". kgw.com. January 17, 2024. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
- ^ "Nathan Vasquez challenging DA Mike Schmidt as MultCo becomes 'unrecognizable'". KOIN.com. September 3, 2023. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
- ^ "Deputy DA announces run for Multnomah County District Attorney". KOIN.com. May 24, 2023. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
- ^ a b c Manfield, Lucas (January 29, 2024). "Multnomah County Prosecutors' Union Endorses Nathan Vasquez's Candidacy to Unseat Their Boss". Willamette Week. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
- ^ a b c d Crombie, Noelle (February 14, 2024). "DA candidate Nathan Vasquez endorsed by unions for Portland police, Multnomah County deputies". The Oregonian. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
- ^ "Mercury May 2024 Primary Election Endorsements: County Races". Portland Mercury. May 3, 2024. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
- ^ "The Skanner News May 2024 Primary Endorsements". The Skanner News. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Endorsements".
- ^ Wilson, Conrad (May 24, 2023). "Multnomah County DA Mike Schmidt draws 2024 challenger from the inside". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f Keizur, Christopher (February 14, 2024). "Gresham Police, Fire Unions endorse Nathan Vasquez for district attorney". The Outlook (Gresham). Retrieved February 16, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f "Six Public Safety Unions Endorse Nathan Vasquez". Willamette Week. February 12, 2024. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
- ^ "WW's May 2024 Endorsements: Multnomah County". Willamette Week. May 1, 2024. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
- ^ "Editorial endorsement May 2024: Vote for Nathan Vasquez for Multnomah County DA". The Oregonian. May 3, 2024. Retrieved May 3, 2024.