As with the Mayoral and Sheriff's races, yesterday's contest for the District Attorney's office left a clear frontrunner but not a clear majority. Current interim DA George Gascón leads the contest after the first round with just over 42% of the vote. The closest contenders, UC Berkeley Criminal Justice scholar David Onek and Alameda County prosecutor Sharmin Bock trail behind with 23% and 21% respectively.

Gascón, who was tapped by former mayor Newsom in January to replace Kamala Harris in the DA's office, has been criticized by his opponents during the run up to yesterday's election for his lack of experience as a prosecutor and for failing to go after several high-profile cases involving the San Francisco Police Department where he was formerly Chief of Police. Gascón's campaign, meanwhile, emphasized his experience as a reformer and manager during his time as the city's top cop.

A spokesperson for Gascón's campaign told Bay City News, "We feel good about the numbers, but we'll wait until the final returns come in... We never take anything for granted."

[BCN/Appeal]
[SFEx]