DeSantis-Fired Prosecutor Voted Back Into Stripped Office

A progressive prosecutor at the center of the national debate over law enforcement discretion won back the seat that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) removed her from. Another DeSantis-ousted prosecutor lost to his Republican replacement.

Ninth Judicial District State Attorney Monique Worrell (D) in Orlando won back her seat with a margin estimated by state officals around 14 percentage points as of 9 p.m. Tuesday. Thirteenth District’s Andrew Warren (D) in Tampa conceded his race about two hours after Sunshine State polls closed, losing by roughly five percentage points.

“The best candidate doesn’t always win, especially when the other side cheats—illegally suspending you, then spending millions of dollars lying about you,” Warren said in a statement.

The Democrats’ messaging tied their opponents to DeSantis in liberal districts, attacking Ninth District appointee Andrew A. Bain (I) and Thirteenth District appointee Suzy Lopez (R). Outspending progressives roughly 10-to-1, the conservative officeholders ran ads attacking the Democrats’ records and saying they were too light on criminal defendants.

The election outcome sets up a potential showdown over prosecutorial discretion. DeSantis removed Warren for refusing to prosecute abortion-related crimes and fired Worrell for policies he considered below standards for criminal punishment required by state law.

Litigation didn’t lead to their reinstatement, and if their policies remain unchanged, DeSantis has left open the possibility that he’d remove them again.

Worrell, Lopez and Bain didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.