PORTLAND, Oregon — Known for its eclectic “Keep Portland Weird!” shirts and coffee shops that seem to thrive on artisanal brews, Portland is the very picture of progressive politics. From the hipster havens to the vibrant arts scene, it’s a city that prides itself on embracing the unconventional. Yet, for all its left-leaning reputation, a simmering discontent is bubbling under the surface — particularly around public safety, homelessness, and crime.

Enter the District Attorney race in Multnomah County, where incumbent Mike Schmidt, a progressive DA who rose to prominence during the chaos of 2020, faces a serious challenge from Nathan Vasquez. A seasoned prosecutor and former Republican, Vasquez is gaining ground by tapping into voter frustration with the current state of affairs. In a county that has not voted Republican for president since 1960, the contest has become a referendum on how far left Portland’s criminal justice system should go.

“What I hear when I’m knocking on doors is, ‘I consider myself liberal, but this is out of step,’” says Vasquez, now an independent voter. “People definitely want public safety. They’re not abandoning the idea of criminal justice reform — they just want it done in a practical, pragmatic way.”

Should Vasquez win, it would signal more than just a rejection of progressive criminal justice policies. It would be a repudiation of the sweeping changes enacted in 2020 — when many cities, including Portland, swung hard left in their approach to law enforcement and social justice. For Democrats nationwide, it should be a wake-up call. As the party focuses on issues like abortion and opposing MAGA, the cracks in their support on crime and public safety could prove to be a major vulnerability in the upcoming elections.

Portland’s growing backlash against progressive policies is not isolated. Similar contests have unfolded in other cities, like the recall of San Francisco DA Chesa Boudin and the ongoing challenges to progressive prosecutors like Kim Foxx in Chicago and George Gascon in Los Angeles. These elections show a shift in voter sentiment, with more people demanding pragmatic, balanced approaches to crime and public safety, rather than all-encompassing reforms that have failed to deliver.

In Portland, this shift is palpable. Schmidt, who made a name for himself in 2020 by refusing to prosecute protestors for charges like disorderly conduct, is now facing the fallout from those decisions. Once seen as a progressive hero, Schmidt’s popularity has waned. In 2020, he won a landslide victory with 77% of the vote. But as crime and homelessness have spiraled, Schmidt has become a lightning rod for voter dissatisfaction.

In 2022, Portland voters delivered another shockwave when they ousted Jo Ann Hardesty, a progressive activist, from her city council seat. And just last month, Oregon lawmakers took the highly unusual step of recriminalizing hard drug possession after voters passed Measure 110 in 2020, decriminalizing the very substances that have contributed to an explosion of addiction and crime.

A poll from The Oregonian recently found that 78% of Portlanders consider homelessness a “very serious problem,” and more than 60% support allowing local authorities to fine or arrest people who refuse to vacate public spaces. For many, this frustration has turned into a vote of no confidence for the progressive leadership embodied by Schmidt.

While progressives have long dominated Portland’s politics, voters are increasingly demanding action, not just rhetoric. Schmidt’s opponents are seizing on this growing discontent. In the DA race, Vasquez is positioning himself as a “moderate centrist” who will restore accountability and balance, without abandoning criminal justice reform altogether.

For his part, Schmidt is fighting back, casting Vasquez as part of a “MAGA & NRA puppet master” network, a common tactic among Democrats who face challenges from candidates on their right. Despite these claims, the DA’s main issue is not Republicans or the business community. It’s Portland’s own Democratic base that’s growing disillusioned with the direction the city has taken.

Across Portland, the signs of frustration are everywhere. Private security guards are now a fixture in places like Powell’s Books, Whole Foods, and even CVS, where aisles are lined with locked cases to prevent theft. Local businesses and residents are grappling with a city that feels increasingly unsafe, and many are questioning how things got so bad so quickly.

“People are risking their catalytic converters just to go out for dinner,” said Betsy Johnson, a former state senator turned independent. “Now, some of the wealthy residents are wondering if they need to hire guards for their neighborhoods.”

With crime rates up and prosecutions down, Schmidt’s record is under scrutiny. Vasquez points out that the DA’s office handled a fraction of the cases that were typical before Schmidt’s tenure. Prior to his leadership, the office saw 12,000 to 20,000 cases annually. Under Schmidt, that number plummeted to under 6,000.

The frustration is especially palpable among mainstream Democrats, many of whom feel that Portland’s left-wing policies have gone too far. “The white left decided anarchists were better than cops,” said Dwight Holton, a former U.S. attorney in Oregon. “Portland has become a lab for failed policy experiments.”

As the race heats up, Schmidt is turning to his party label, framing Vasquez as aligned with right-wing interests, even though the race is officially nonpartisan. He’s also trying to link Vasquez to other moderate figures, including Betsy Johnson, whose conservative leanings have made her a lightning rod for Portland’s left.

But regardless of how Schmidt tries to paint his challenger, the heart of the issue remains clear: Portlanders, even those on the left, are no longer willing to ignore the city’s growing crime and safety problems. The outcome of this race could mark a turning point for the city’s future — and offer a cautionary tale for Democrats nationwide.

As Vasquez puts it: “People want change, and they want a safer, more accountable Portland. The question is whether the political establishment is willing to listen.”