Oregon voters oust progressive district attorney for police-endorsed challenger

Mike Schmidt conceded the Multnomah county election, where Portland is located, to Nathan Vasquez amid political upheaval in the state

Oregon voters have ousted the progressive district attorney of Multnomah county, who had pledged to reform the criminal justice system, in favor of a centrist challenger endorsed by several police groups.

Mike Schmidt conceded the election on Wednesday afternoon in a phone call to challenger Nathan Vasquez, one of his deputies. Vasquez, who has worked as a prosecutor in Multnomah county, where Portland is located, since 2001, had campaigned on promises to improve the office’s relationship with police, address the city’s drug crisis and seek more prosecutions. He won Tuesday’s nonpartisan primary election after returns showed him receiving more than 50% of the vote.