Quality of life and the ability to do business might improve greatly in Portland, Oregon, now that the city’s far-left, George Soros-backed district attorney, Mike Schmidt, has lost a crushing election battle to a tough-on-crime local prosecutor, Nathan Vasquez. Schmidt, the DA for Multnomah County, conceded defeat to Vasquez on Wednesday, May 22.
As background, Portland has suffered a serious crime epidemic, with businesses leaving and residents growing frustrated as criminals terrorize the city and cause havoc. Portland is one of the cities in which Antifa has a strong presence and has caused chaos periodically, particularly since Trump announced his candidacy in 2015.
In any case, Schmidt, in a statement to KGW8, the local NBC affiliate, said, “It is looking as if I will not be serving another four years as Multnomah County District Attorney.” He then added that he called his opponent to admit defeat, telling the outlet, “I have called Nathan Vasquez to congratulate him on his victory.”
Continuing, he pledged to help the transition to Vasquez be a smooth one, saying, “While we do not always see eye to eye, I am committed to a smooth transition.” He then said, “Thank you to this amazing community for the support they have shown for this campaign. And thank you for the opportunity to serve these past four years. It is an honor I will cherish for a lifetime.”
Schmidt also admitted that the residents of the city have seen things taking a turn for the worse and that their frustration likely manifested in his being cast out of office. He said, “And I think if you’re a community member, you just see things not working. So I think that’s probably what we’ve seen so far in the early results, and we’ll still see more to come out … but what we’ve seen so far is probably a manifestation of that frustration.”
KGW8 added that, when Schmidt conceded, half of the about 145,000 votes cast had been counted and Vasquez was leading by a large margin, receiving a massive 54% of the vote to Schmidt’s 45%. That result, a devastating defeat for the “Soros-backed progressive,” is particularly notable given VAsquez’s tough-on-crime stances and the generally far left attitudes of Portland residents.
Vasquez, for his part, said, “This is a time where I think a lot of people in our community are looking for that belief, that hope, and I think tonight is going to be a change in that direction. And I really want to deliver that to our community in a way that feels positive and hopeful, so that everyone in this community feels included, everyone feels like they can have a safe community where they can go to parks, they can go down the street and can really enjoy this wonderful, amazing city and county that we live in, and I’m just so hopeful for tonight.”
Watch Schmidt here:
Vasquez, in a post on Facebook, pledged to clean up the city, saying, “I am humbled by and grateful for the support I have received from the voters and from this community throughout my campaign. The voters have made it clear that they are ready to take our county in a new and safer direction. As Multnomah County’s elected District Attorney, I am 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.”
Continuing, he added, “I spoke with Mike Schmidt this afternoon and he conceded the election. I want to thank him for his professionalism and service to our community. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the DA’s office, with community partners, and with the public to help build a safer Multnomah County for all of us.”
Watch Vasquez here:
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