Voters are turning on a district attorney who was elected on promises of soft-hearted criminal justice reform that residents now blame for their lawless streets.

It’s the latest in a nationwide trend of ousting those elected as part of what was deemed the “progressive prosecutor movement”.

When Chesa Boudin gave his victory speech in 2019, he said his election was a call for radical change. He pledged a progressive agenda meant to reduce incarceration rates.

The overwhelming result of those policies is an astonishing 45% increase in robberies in the past two years. Organized “smash and grab” incidents became national news as footage spread of large mobs overwhelming luxury and electronics stores to grab handfuls of items and leave within minutes of entering.

According to Wall Street Journal contributor Andy Kessler, the city had more deaths from drug overdoses than COVID in 2021. Yet Boudin’s office had zero convictions for dealing fentanyl, choosing to convict such crimes as the lower “accessory after the fact” to avoid subjecting dealers to deportation, as the overwhelming majority are illegal immigrants.

Nationwide Trend

Fed up voters are also taking aim at progressive prosecutors in Los Angeles, Northern Virginia, and Colorado, according to the Wall Street Journal.

In at least five elections across North Carolina, Oregon, and Arkansas, district attorney candidates with tough-on-crime campaigns crushed their progressive rivals.

In Pennsylvania, bipartisan legislation passed the state House of Representatives that would bar a third term for Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, who refuses to file charges for drug possession.

A San Francisco business owner plagued by burglaries gave his thoughts on the trend. “Crime makes everyone more moderate.”

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