Multnomah County prosecutor Nathan Vasquez speaks to supporters at the election night party at The Hoxton Hotel in Portland, Ore., May 21, 2024. Early results showed Vasquez with a sizable lead over Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt.
Conrad Wilson / OPB
Longtime Multnomah County prosecutor Nathan Vasquez has a sizable lead in his attempt to unseat his boss, Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt.
THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR:
With potentially thousands of votes yet to be tallied, Vasquez led with 56% of the vote as of 12:15 a.m. on Wednesday.
Related: Primary election updates: Get the latest news and see who’s leading as votes continue to be counted
Speaking to supporters after 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday night, Vasquez said once the votes were counted, he was confident he would be elected district attorney. ”I am committed to ending the open-air drug use – to ending the open air drug dealing that we have suffered from as a community,” Vasquez said to a cheering crowd of supporters. “I am also committed to restoring that idea that it is OK to hold people accountable and do it in a compassionate manner.”
Vasquez is a senior deputy district attorney in the Multnomah County District Attorney’s office, where he has