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Multnomah County Prosecuting Attorneys Association, the union of line prosecutors in the county district attorneys’ office, has voted to endorse one of its members, Nathan Vasquez, in his candidacy to unseat his boss, District Attorney Mike Schmidt, in May’s election.
The union’s secretary confirmed the endorsement this morning. “This is a huge endorsement,” Vasquez says. “I am so humbled to be endorsed by a group I respect so much.”
This is the second time the reformer Schmidt has failed to win the endorsement of county prosecutors. In Schmidt’s 2020 landslide win, the union also endorsed his opponent: Ethan Knight, an assistant U.S. attorney.
Now, Schmidt is running for reelection in a much less favorable political climate.
He says he’s done his best to fix a broken justice system amid a pandemic and a rise in violent crime. Vasquez says the office would be better run by a more experienced prosecutor like himself, and promises to amp up enforcement of low-level crimes.
In a statement in response to the union’s endorsement, Schmidt’s campaign spokesman, Andrew Rogers, pointed to his candidate’s hefty list of other endorsers, which includes former Gov. Kate Brown and Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson.
“Mike appreciates the work of the MCPAA and remains committed to supporting the hardworking prosecutors and all other workers in the MCDA,” Rogers said.