District Attorney Chesa Boudin Recalled In San Fransisco By 20% Margin

San Francisco’s progressive district attorney Chesa Boudin lost in the city’s recall election according to the vote count on Tuesday night.

Sixty percent of voters favored removing him.

Boudin, a former public defender, was elected on his pledge to reduce racism in the justice system and hold police more accountable. Public perception began to decline as crime began to spike and constituents began to notice defendants getting out of jail time in favor of alternative programs and lesser charges. He garnered further disapproval as Asian hate crimes rose in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. Some felt that Boudin was siding with criminals.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed (D) is tasked with naming Boudin’s replacement. They will run in the general election for the remaining part of Boudin’s term, which runs through 2023.

Boudin blames “right-wing billionaires” for heading the recall.

“Voters were not given an opportunity to choose between criminal justice reform and something else,” he said. “They were given an opportunity to voice their frustrations and their outrage and they took that opportunity.”

President Joe Biden chimed in on Boudin’s removal on Wednesday.

“Voters sent a clear message last night,” Biden said. “Both parties have to step up and do something about crime as well as gun violence.”

“It’s time states and the localities spend the money they have to deal with crime, as well as retrain police officers, as well as provide for more community policing,” the president added. “And that’s what I think the message last night from the American public was in all the primaries.”