See also: Mayoral election in Anchorage, Alaska (2024)

Suzanne LaFrance won the nonpartisan general runoff election for mayor of Anchorage, Alaska, on May 14, 2024. LaFrance defeated incumbent David Bronson, 53.5% to 46.5%.

Bronson and LaFrance advanced to the runoff from the nonpartisan general election on April 2. LaFrance received 36.3% of the vote and Bronson received 35.0%. The two advanced to a runoff because neither received more than 45% of the vote.

LaFrance was a former member of the Anchorage Assembly and chaired the Assembly during the first two years of Bronson's term.^[3] LaFrance said she was running to "bring people together and get our future back on track." LaFrance said her business experience and time on the assembly gave her the necessary knowledge and skillset to turn Anchorage around.^[4] LaFrance said she would be a more effective mayor than Bronson: "My pitch is that we can get the basics right, and we can build a better future for everyone in our community."^[5]

First elected in 2021, Bronson ran on his first-term record. Bronson said he opposed the Anchorage Assembly's efforts to increase tax and spending rates and worked to reopen the city following the COVID-19 pandemic.^[6] Bronson said he had the "relentless commitment, vision, and a whole lot of heart" needed for the office.^[7] Bronson said he would act as a more effective check on the Assembly than LaFrance: "My administration is standing between single party governance in the city...and the balance that we need within our government."^[8]

Although the election was nonpartisan, Bronson was a registered Republican and LaFrance was a registered nonpartisan. The Alaska Republican Party endorsed Bronson and the Alaska Democratic Party endorsed LaFrance.^{[9] [10]}

As of April 2024, 63 mayors in the 100 largest cities by population were affiliated with the Democratic Party, 25 were affiliated with the Republican Party, one was affiliated with the Libertarian Party, four were independents, five identified as nonpartisan or unaffiliated, and two had unknown partisan affiliations.

Anchorage has term limits for the position of mayor. Those limits are: Two consecutive three-year terms, may run again after a three year break.

See also: Mayoral election in Baltimore, Maryland, 2024 (May 14 Democratic primary)

Incumbent Brandon Scott (D) won the Democratic primary for mayor of Baltimore, Maryland, on May 14, 2024. Scott received 51.1% of the vote. Sheila Dixon (D) finished in second place with 41.1%. Wayne Baker (D), Wendy Bozel (D), Texas Brown (D), Kevin P. Harris (D), Wendell Hill-Freeman (D), Yolanda Pulley (D), Joseph Scott (D), Keith Scott (D), Thiru Vignarajah (D), Bob Wallace (D) and Yasaun Young (D) also ran in the primary. Scott, Dixon, and Wallace led in fundraising and local media attention.

Local political observers said crime was a central issue for both the Scott and Dixon campaigns.

According to the Baltimore Sun, Dixon was likely to focus her campaign on a similar section of the electorate as in 2020, which it described as "Black voters, many of whom named crime as their top concern."^[11] Dixon said her policies as mayor "led to 30-year record lows in crime and homicides."^[12] Scott's challenge was "more complicated that [sic] lowering the homicide rate. The battle is also over the public perception of crime among city residents, some of whom find little solace in the city’s diminished homicide count," according to the Baltimore Sun.^[11]

Scott was first elected in 2020 and was running on his record: "We have been able to decrease crime by doing it the right way."^[11] Scott said he offered "a choice to make about whether we will continue on the sustainable path forward, or if we will go back to the broken ways and failed leadership of the past."^[13]

Dixon was a former mayor and city council member who resigned in 2010 as part of a plea deal following a corruption investigation.^[14] Dixon said she was running because Scott was mismanaging the city: "I look at city government today, and I don't recognize it anymore. I see firsthand that it's letting people down daily."^[15] In 2020, Scott defeated Dixon 29.6%–27.5% in the Democratic primary.

Wallace was, at the time of the election, a businessman and author of books on wealth creation and entrepreneurship.^[16] Wallace said he was running because "today's Baltimore presents challenges for our Black sons and daughters."^[17] Wallace said he would create the position of city manager/chief ethics officer, pursue partnerships with businesses to attract 1ドル billion of investment, and overhaul the city's schools.^[18] In 2020, Wallace ran for mayor as an independent. Scott defeated him 70.5%–20.2%.

The last Republican mayor of Baltimore was Theodore McKeldin (R) in 1967.^[19]

See also: Mayoral election in Las Vegas, Nevada (2024)

Shelley Berkley defeated Victoria Seaman in the general election for mayor of Las Vegas, Nevada, on November 5, 2024. Berkley and Seaman were the top-two vote-getters in the June 11, 2024, primary, and both advanced to the general election because neither won a majority of the votes.

Incumbent Carolyn Goodman, who was first elected in 2011, was term-limited. Goodman's husband, Oscar, served as Las Vegas mayor from 1999 to 2011.^[20] Goodman was one of eight mayors in the 100 largest cities registered as nonpartisan or independent.

The mayor sits on the Las Vegas City Council and is the only member elected at large. The mayor presides over council meetings and official city ceremonies. KTNV Channel 13 Senior Reporter Steve Sebelius said, "The importance [is in] this bully pulpit role of the mayor."^[21]

Berkeley represented Nevada's 1st Congressional District as a Democrat from 1999 to 2013. Before that, she practiced law and served in the Nevada Assembly from 1982 to 1984.^[22] Berkeley said, "[Las Vegas] is the fastest growing community in the United States, and it certainly was when I was in Congress representing Las Vegas. So many of the issues that I concentrated on when I was in Congress are still important issues today."^[23] Berkeley said her campaign was focused on affordable housing, homelessness, and small businesses.^[23]

At the time of the election, Seaman had represented Ward 2 on the Las Vegas City Council since 2019. From 2014 to 2016, Seaman was a Republican representing the 34th District in the Nevada Assembly. Seaman said, "I have a keen ability to recognize and face head-on complicated issues that impact our residents. It is for this reason and my commitment for this city that I live in — and the support of my family — that I’m announcing my campaign for mayor of Las Vegas."^[24] Seaman's top issues included public safety, infrastructure, and supporting local businesses.^[25]

Lawsuits against the city over a defunct golf course in the Queensridge area were an issue in the election. Click here to learn where the candidates stood on those lawsuits.

The city of Las Vegas does not include the Strip, which is in an unincorporated part of Clark County.^[26] Clark County and Las Vegas share a police department and other municipal services.^[26]

Thirty-four of the 100 largest cities held mayoral elections in 2024.^[27] Heading into the year, 18 of those cities had a Democratic mayor, meaning 29% of the 63 Democratic-led cities held mayoral elections. Eleven cities that held elections had a Republican mayor at the start of the year, meaning 42% of the 26 Republican-led cities held elections. The remaining eight top-100 cities that held elections in 2024 started the year with independent or nonpartisan mayors.

Las Vegas has term limits for the position of mayor. Those limits are: four-year term, 12 year lifetime limit.

See also: Mayoral election in Portland, Oregon (2024)

Keith Wilson defeated eighteen candidates in the nonpartisan election for mayor of Portland on November 5, 2024.^[28] Wilson was one of five candidates—including Rene Gonzalez, Mingus Mapps, Liv Osthus, and Carmen Rubio—who led in media attention, polls, and campaign finance.

The Portland mayoral election was nonpartisan. Incumbent Ted Wheeler was affiliated with the Democratic Party. Click here to read more about the party affiliation of the mayors of the 100 largest cities.

This was the first mayoral election in Portland to use ranked-choice voting. The new mayor would also oversee the transition to a new governmental structure. These changes were features of Measure 26-228, which Portland voters approved 58%-42% in November 2022.

A ranked-choice voting system (RCV) is an electoral system in which voters rank candidates by preference on their ballots. If a candidate wins a majority of first-preference votes, he or she is declared the winner. If no candidate wins a majority of first-preference votes, the candidate with the fewest first-preference votes is eliminated. First-preference votes cast for the failed candidate are eliminated, lifting the second-preference choices indicated on those ballots. A new tally is conducted to determine whether any candidate has won a majority of the adjusted votes. The process is repeated until a candidate wins an outright majority.^{[29] [30]}

Heading into the 2024 elections, Portland had been using a commission government where five commissioners, including the mayor, were elected citywide to act both executively and legislatively. Portland switched to a mayor-council government with a 12-member city council elected by district. OPB's Alex Zielinski wrote, "Under this 'mayor-council' model, city councilors will focus solely on legislating and will no longer oversee city bureaus. These departments will instead be overseen by a new city administrator, who will report to the mayor."^[31]

Homelessness was a key issue in the race.^{[32] [33] [34]} The Associated Press' Claire Rush wrote that the top candidates "presented different visions for reducing homelessness in a metro area where a January 2023 count found nearly 4,000 people living unsheltered."^[35]

In an October 15, 2024, debate between the top five candidates, the participants were asked to grade Portland's response to homelessness. Gonzalez gave the city a C, citing a lack of housing production. Mapps gave it the highest grade of C+ and said that while current transitional housing efforts were helping, more permanent housing efforts were needed. Osthus gave it a D and said she would like more state-level involvement. Rubio gave the city an Incomplete grade "on the way to a C," saying shelter and housing development efforts needed more time to produce results. Wilson gave the city an F and called the city's handling of homelessness a complete failure.^[36]

Gonzalez was a business attorney and city commissioner. He said, "I am running for Mayor to ensure the work we have begun on crime, homelessness, the drug crisis, and economic revitalization continue stronger than ever."^[37]

Mapps was a political scientist and city commissioner. Mapps said, "If you want common sense solutions to our most crucial problems, I sure hope that you’ll consider ranking me number one in the mayor’s race."^[38]

Osthus said, "I am an artist. A writer, musician, stripper," and added, "I'm aghast that this city doesn't put more value on arts and its artists. I believe art and artists can revive downtown, and I want to be sure that message is heard loud and clear throughout the city."^[37]

Rubio was a city commissioner. Rubio said, "Portlanders deserve a mayor who will take us into our future without drama – just hard, collaborative work, especially on community safety, homelessness and housing. That’s how I’ve led as a Commissioner, and how I will do so as Portland’s next mayor."^[37]

Wilson was the chief executive officer of a trucking company and founder of the nonprofit Shelter Portland.^[37] Wilson said on his campaign website, "Enough is enough. We refuse to accept the status quo. Within one year, I’ll end unsheltered homelessness in our city."^[39]

Saadiq Ali, Shei'Meka As-Salaam, James Atkinson, Michael Hayes, Yao Jun He, Durrell Kinsey Bey, Josh Leake, James Macdonald, Sharon Nasset, Michael Necula, Alexander Landry Neely, Michael O'Callaghan, Martin Ward, and Dustin Witherspoon also ran.

See also: Mayoral election in San Francisco, California (2024)

Daniel Lurie defeated twelve other candidates in the general election for mayor of San Francisco, California, on Nov. 5, 2024. Click here for detailed results.

Four candidates led in polling and media attention before the election: Incumbent Mayor London Breed, Mark Farrell, Daniel Lurie, and Aaron Peskin. Though San Francisco holds nonpartisan elections, all four of the leading candidates were registered Democrats.^[40]

ABC7 News conducted interviews with the four leading candidates. According to ABC7 News Monica Madden, "All four candidates - Mayor London Breed, Aaron Peskin, Mark Farrell and Daniel Lurie - were in agreement about the severity of the homelessness problem in San Francisco, but they all differed in approaches to solutions."^[41] Breed said homelessness in San Francisco reached a ten-year low during her mayorship and said the city had the authority to enforce laws that restrict lying and camping in public spaces after the Supreme Court's decision in City of Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson . Farrell said he would prioritize sustainable growth and marketing the city to businesses and tourists. Lurie said his experience working for Tipping Point, a nonprofit focused on antipoverty efforts, made him the most qualified to lead efforts to increase housing. Peskin said he would reform system management practices so various city departments work together to address homelessness, work with neighboring cities to restore underutilized state facilities for mental health treatment centers, and expand conservatorship laws.^{[42] [43]}

Breed served as the mayor of San Francisco since 2020. Breed received a bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Davis and a master’s degree from the University of San Francisco.^[44] Before serving in public office, Breed worked as the executive director of the African American Art and Culture Complex. Breed served as the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency Commissioner and as a member and president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.^[45] Breed said housing affordability was her top priority. Breed said, "Our work is removing roadblocks and making it easier to build housing that’s affordable, so that everyone who wants to call San Francisco home can live here."^[46] Breed also listed public safety, reducing drug abuse, improving street conditions, reducing homelessness, and improving public transportation as her priorities.^[47]

Farrell served as the interim mayor of San Francisco in 2018. Farrell received a bachelor’s degree from Loyola Marymount University, a master’s degree from University College Dublin, and a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. Before serving in public office, Farrell worked as a corporate and securities attorney.^[48] Farrell served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors from 2011-2018. Farrell said, "As mayor, I’ll fully fund public safety, make a change of leadership at the top of our police department, clear all our tent encampments, create a centralized intake center, and connect people to shelter and services."^[49]

Lurie worked as an associate at Robin Hood, chair of the San Francisco Bay Area Super Bowl 50 Host Committee, and founded and worked as the CEO of Tipping Point Community.^[50] On his campaign website, Lurie listed public safety, improving mental health and drug abuse, reducing corruption, and providing more affordable housing as his priorities.^[51] "With accountability and rooting out corruption, we can tackle our housing and drug crisis, clear the tent encampments, and bring our businesses back."^[52]

Peskin was a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Peskin received a bachelor's degree from the University of California at Santa Cruz. He founded the nonprofit Great Basin Land and Water, worked for the land conservation group Trust for Public Land, served as chair of the San Francisco Democratic Party, and was the president of the historic preservation and affordable housing group Telegraph Hill Dwellers.^[53] On his campaign website, Peskin said he would reduce homelessness by building and supporting more affordable housing developments, force departments to improve their coordination, and identify and restore unused state facilities to use for mental health and drug abuse treatment locations.^[54]

Henry Flynn, Keith Freedman, Dylan Hirsch-Shell, Nelson Mei, Paul Ybarra Robertson, and Ahsha Safai also ran in the election.

San Francisco has term limits. The incumbent mayor can run for two consecutive four-year terms and may run again after a four-year break following his or her second consecutive term.

San Francisco uses ranked-choice voting, which asks voters to rank candidates by preference on their ballots. The candidate who wins a majority of first-preference votes is declared the winner. If no candidate wins a majority of first-preference votes, the candidate with the fewest first-preference votes is eliminated. Ballots that ranked a failed candidate as their first, or highest choice, depending on the round, are then reevaluated and counted as first-preference ballots for the next-highest-ranked candidate in that round. A new tally is conducted to determine whether any candidate has won a majority of ballots. The process is repeated until a candidate wins an outright majority.

See also: Cook County State's Attorney election, 2024 (March 19 Democratic primary)

Eileen O'Neill Burke (D) defeated Clayton Harris III (D) in the Democratic primary for Cook County State's Attorney on March 19, 2024. O'Neill Burke received 50.1% of the vote to Harris' 49.9%.

Incumbent Kim Foxx (D) did not seek re-election. Foxx was first elected in 2016. Both Harris and O'Neill Burke said they would build on Foxx's policies while improving the relationship between prosecutors and police.^[55]

Harris was a former prosecutor and state government staff manager who, at the time of the election, taught state and local government policy, including policing, at the University of Chicago.^[56] Harris ran on his experience, saying he would be "the bridge, the evolution of what has been going on and we’re going to move forward to ensure that our communities feel safe."^[57] Harris said he would add a division to the special prosecutors unit that would focus on firearms, carjackings, and retail theft.^[55]

O'Neill Burke was a former prosecutor, defense attorney, and judge. O'Neill Burke said she had more courtroom experience and more experience in mentorship owing to her time running training programs for new judges.^{[58] [59]} O'Neill Burke said she was running because of crime rates: "make no mistake about it, the economic viability of Chicago is on the ballot this year."^[55] O'Neill Burke said she would end Foxx's policy of prohibiting prosecution of retail theft less than 1,000ドル.^[55]

O'Neill Burke advanced to the general election against Bob Fioretti (R) and Andrew Charles Kopinski (L). Democrats had, at the time of the election, won every election for Cook County State's Attorney since 1996.^[60] Foxx won the 2016 election 72%-28% and the 2020 election 54%-39%.

See also: Harris County District Attorney election, 2024 (March 5 Democratic primary)

Sean Teare (D) defeated incumbent Kim Ogg (D) in the Democratic primary for Harris County District Attorney on March 5, 2024.

Ogg was first elected in 2016 on a platform of prosecuting violent offenders, offering diversion programs as an alternative to jail time, and making less use of cash bail.^[61] Ogg was running on her record: "In my seven years as District Attorney, significant reforms have reshaped Harris County's justice system. Despite challenges like Harvey and the pandemic, our office supported 86 law enforcement agencies, ensuring uninterrupted operations."^[62]

Teare ran because he believed Ogg hadn't fulfilled her campaign promises. Teare said prosecutors' morale was low because Ogg had focused on building her political influence over implementing her policy platform: "The promises that we were all led to believe in 2016 were not being followed through."^[63] Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo (D) and former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner both endorsed Teare.^{[64] [65]}

The Harris County Democratic Party voted to admonish Ogg on December 13, 2023.^[66] The resolution accused Ogg of supporting Republican firearms and sentencing laws, intimidating elected officials with whom she disagreed, and not reducing the use of cash bail as she had promised.^[67] Ogg said the county party had admonished her because she was investigating three of County Judge Lina Hidalgo's (D) former staffers.^[68]

Teare advanced to the general election against Dan Simons (R). According to Rice University professor Bob Stein, county Republicans saw an opportunity to win back the district attorney's office: "The cleavage, the fissure, the infighting in the Democratic Party to oust Kim Ogg, I think, has attracted some candidates to run countywide."^[69] Ogg won the 2016 and 2020 elections 54%-46%. Ogg was the first Democrat to win election as Harris County District Attorney since 1980.^[70]

See also: State attorney election in Hillsborough County, Florida (2024)

Incumbent Suzy Lopez (R) defeated Andrew Warren (D) in the general election for Hillsborough County State Attorney in Florida on November 5, 2024.

The election took place after Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) removed Warren from office in August 2022 and appointed Lopez in his place. DeSantis suspended Warren after Warren signed a pledge not to prosecute cases related to abortion or gender transitions. In January 2023, a U.S. district court judge ruled that Warren's action was protected under the First Amendment but that the court did not have the power to reinstate him. A three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit found in January 2024 that the court did have the power to reinstate Warren and remanded the case to the trial court to determine whether DeSantis had violated Warren's rights.^[71] The trial court did not issue a ruling before the election.

Before her appointment as state attorney, Lopez served as a judge and a prosecutor. Lopez said her record included bringing crime rates down and making the county safer. She said she had focused on "Driving crime to historic lows, protecting victims not criminals, and taking the fight to drug dealers who target kids."^[72] Lopez said she would focus "on finding justice and making certain those guilty of committing crimes serve their time," saying Warren had spent too much of his time in office pursuing political objectives.^[73]

Warren was first elected state attorney in 2016 and re-elected in 2020. Warren said he had reduced crime rates by 30% while in office, while Lopez "was handpicked based on one qualification - her blind allegiance to Ron DeSantis."^[74] Warren said he would "continue to fight for the freedom of all Floridians to exercise their First Amendment rights, to protect our democracy by ensuring that voters decide who serves in elected office, and to uphold the rule of law by making sure that no one—not even the governor—is above the law."^[75]

In an interview with the Florida Phoenix before the election, political analyst Barry Edwards said the county had shifted politically since Warren's 2020 win, referencing changes in party registration as well as the results of the 2022 elections. Edwards wrote, "We’ve seen the performance of the county in 2022 — all the countywide and statewide Democrat candidates got wiped out...the county has changed to a red-performing county."^[76]

The Florida Thirteenth Circuit state attorney is the chief prosecutor for Florida's Thirteenth Judicial Circuit, which includes Hillsborough County and its incorporated cities — including Tampa. As of the 2024 election, the incumbent oversaw "132 Assistant State Attorneys and 160 victim advocates, investigators, administrators, paralegals, receptionists, and other support staff" with responsibility for prosecution and crime prevention programs.^[77]

A state attorney is an official elected to serve as the lead prosecutor for a specific jurisdiction. The office's responsibilities include managing the jurisdiction's prosecutors, setting department-wide guidelines for prosecutors to follow, and direct management of individual high-profile prosecutions. Prosecutors are responsible for deciding whether or not to bring criminal charges when wrongdoing is alleged, as well as for proving the charges in court, if necessary, and for recommending a sentence in the event a defendant is found guilty. This office is equivalent to the positions of district attorney, state's/commonwealth's attorney, county/city attorney, solicitor, circuit attorney, or prosecuting attorney found in other jurisdictions.

See also: Los Angeles County District Attorney election, 2024

Nathan Hochman defeated incumbent George Gascón in the general election for Los Angeles County district attorney on November 5, 2024.^[78] Hochman received 61.5% of the vote to Gascón's 38.5%.

Gascón and Hochman were the top two finishers in the nonpartisan primary, receiving 24.4% and 16.4% of the vote, respectively. The two advanced to a general election because neither won more than 50% of the vote.

Before the election, LAist wrote the race was "expected to be closely watched across the country as a barometer of how the public is feeling about criminal justice reforms amid an increase in property crime. Property crime is up 17.4% in the city of L.A. so far this year compared to two years ago...Violent crime is down 1.3% year to date from two years ago."^[79]

Although the election was nonpartisan, Gascón was a registered Democrat, and Hochman was an independent.^{[80] [81]}

Gascón was elected in 2020 on a platform of not seeking the death penalty, limiting the imposition of cash bail for misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies, and "stopping the practice of imposing excessive sentences."^{[82] [83]} Gascón said his policies made county residents safer and he would keep them in place if re-elected. He said, "The reality is that having thoughtful policies that hold people accountable, as we have, sending people to prison when they need to be locked up, but recognizing that prison cannot be the only one answer is what public safety is all about."^[84] Gascón previously served eight years as San Francisco district attorney. He earlier served as chief of police in San Francisco and in Mesa, Arizona.^[85]

Hochman was, at the time of the election, a defense attorney and former federal prosecutor.^[86] Hochman said Gascón put his policies ahead of public safety. Hochman said he would prioritize public safety and victims' rights over reducing the length of sentences.^{[87] [88]} Hochman said Gascón was responsible for "nine of the most pro-criminal blanket policies in DA history."^[89] Hochman said his public and private legal experience would help him change the direction of the district attorney's office.^[86] Hochman said he would avoid Gascón's policies centered on decarceration in favor of what he described as "the hard middle, which means you look at each individual case, the defendant, the crime committed, and the impact on the victim to determine who the true threats to our safety are, who needs to be behind bars."^[89]

Before the election, local political observers said Hochman, who ran for attorney general as a Republican in 2022, faced a disadvantage in Los Angeles County, where Democrats had been favored in recent elections.^[90] The county voted for President Joe Biden (D) over former President Donald Trump (R) 71%–27% in 2020 and for Rob Bonta (D) over Hochman 67%–33% in the 2022 attorney general election.^{[91] [92]} At the time of the election, the last Republican elected Los Angeles County district attorney was Steve Cooley (R) in 2008. Hochman said after the primary that "three-quarters of Angelenos rejected George Gascón and said enough is enough of playing politics with our communities’ safety...In the general election, I look forward to unifying all those who want to restore safety in their communities, in their streets, parks, subways and neighborhoods."^[93]

See also: State attorney election in Orange County, Florida (2024)

Former state attorney Monique Worrell (D) defeated incumbent Andrew Bain (independent) in the general election for Florida's Ninth Judicial Circuit State Attorney, which encompasses all of Orange County, Florida, on November 5, 2024.

The election took place after Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) removed Worrell from office in August 2023 and appointed Bain in her place. DeSantis suspended Worrell, claiming she failed to pursue minimum mandatory sentences for criminals and did not fully prosecute both adults and juveniles who later went on to commit other crimes.^[94] The Florida Supreme Court upheld the suspension after Worrell filed a lawsuit in which she claimed DeSantis did not have a legal basis for removing her from office.^[95] Worrell said, "This is simply a smokescreen for Ron DeSantis’ failing and disastrous presidential campaign. He needed to get back in the media in some positive way that would be red meat for his base."^[94]

Bain received a bachelor's degree from the University of Miami in 2006 and a J.D. from the Florida A&M University College of Law in 2013. Bain worked as a district attorney and assistant state attorney in the Ninth Judicial Circuit before being appointed to fill a vacancy on the Orange County Court in 2020. Following his appointment, Bain served the duration of the term and won election to the seat in 2022.^[96] Bain left the court in 2023 after DeSantis appointed him to replace Worrell as the Ninth Judicial Circuit State Attorney.^[96]

On his campaign website, Bain said he would "fight for justice, for the victims, their families and for our neighborhoods. That is what I’m fighting for every day. No one is above the law, and the law should be applied without bias or prejudice."^[97] Bain’s campaign website also said during his time in office, he addressed a shortage of experienced prosecutors, implemented the violent crimes unit, handled cases for the violent offenders, reinstated minimum mandatory sentencing for violent offenders, developed community partnerships providing criminal justice solutions, launched diversion programs, and integrated on-site crisis counseling to victims.Cite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag

On her campaign website, Worrell said she would prioritize public safety, diligently serve victims, reduce crime and incarceration, and work to improve public trust in the government. Worrell said, "I made a promise to fight crime at its root and to stop the school to prison pipeline that turns hope into despair and turns children into convicted criminals. We are in for a fight against a broken system and those who don’t want it to change. It’s a fight I’m confident we can win."^[98]

The Florida ninth circuit state attorney is the chief prosecutor for Florida's Ninth Judicial Circuit, which includes Orange County and its incorporated cities, including Orlando. According to the state attorney office’s website, the ninth circuit state attorney "serves the nearly 1.9 million residents of Orange and Osceola counties and many of the 70 million tourists who visit Central Florida every year. Our primary role is to represent the State of Florida in criminal court. Our responsibilities include reviewing criminal investigations, determining charges and prosecuting cases involving felony, misdemeanor, criminal traffic and juvenile delinquency. As the third-largest of Florida’s 20 judicial circuits, the Ninth Circuit State Attorney’s Office receives roughly 60,000 cases annually from law enforcement."^[99]

A state attorney is an official elected to serve as the lead prosecutor for a specific jurisdiction. The office's responsibilities include managing the jurisdiction's prosecutors, setting department-wide guidelines for prosecutors to follow, and direct management of individual high-profile prosecutions. Prosecutors are responsible for deciding whether to bring criminal charges, prosecuting certain cases, and recommending a sentence in the event a defendant is found guilty. This office is equivalent to the positions of district attorney, state's/commonwealth's attorney, county/city attorney, solicitor, circuit attorney, or prosecuting attorney found in other jurisdictions.

Orange County also held elections for clerk of courts, comptroller, property appraiser, public defender, sheriff, state attorney, supervisor of elections, tax collector, county commission, soil and water conservation district, circuit court judges, and county court judges. Click here for more on those elections.