A centrist candidate who has vowed to be tough on crime is leading in the race for top prosecutor in Oregon’s Multnomah County, home to Portland, in a contest that is seen as a referendum on voter concerns over homelessness, public drug use and disorder. Nathan Vasquez was leading incumbent District Attorney Mike Schmidt in early returns Tuesday night. Schmidt’s term began as the death of George Floyd at the hands of police sparked nightly protests in Portland and a larger national conversation about criminal justice reform. Schmidt is being challenged by Vasquez, one of his own deputies who has been a prosecutor in that office for over 20 years.
