'Godfather of progressive prosecutors' George Gascon booted by Los Angeles County voters

Republicans found a way to defeat a progressive prosecutor: Ditch the party label and hammer him just as hard.

Former federal prosecutor Nathan Hochman, who failed as a GOP candidate for California attorney general, unseated incumbent George Gascon as Los Angeles County district attorney as a "hard middle" independent in Tuesday's election, assailing both mass incarceration and Gascon's "pro-criminal extreme policies."

Voters didn't only reject Gascon, "the godfather of progressive prosecutors," personally but also a ballot measure he co-authored that "reclassified certain low-level drug and property crimes as misdemeanors instead of felonies," by approving another measure that reclassifies shoplifting as a felony for repeat offenders and raises penalties for some drug charges, the Associated Press reports.

Hochman had the support of victims’ advocacy groups, Gascon's predecessor Jackie Lacey and more than 70 current and former county elected officials, according to AP. The prosecutors' union celebrated his victory as a "pivotal moment in the fight to return balance and accountability to the justice system."