Getting recalled

Biden reacts to Chesa Boudin getting recalled in San Francisco

Alec Regimbal

President Joe Biden reacted to San Francisco voters recalling District Attorney Chesa Boudin Tuesday night by saying more needs to be done to address violent crime in U.S. cities.

“Voters sent a clear message last night,” Biden said Wednesday. “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,” he added. “And that's what I think the message last night from the American public was in all the primaries.”

As of 10 a.m. Wednesday, “yes” votes on the recall were leading “no” votes by a margin of nearly 20 percentage points. In the months leading up to the election, polls consistently showed Boudin’s ouster was likely, and that, generally, San Francisco voters are concerned about crime and public safety.

Biden had previously leaned in on crime concerns nationally, stating during his State of the Union address, "We should all agree: The answer is not to defund the police. The answer is to fund the police with the resources and training they need to protect our communities."

Boudin’s opponents framed him as responsible for a number of public safety issues that saw an uptick during his tenure, including homicides and some property crimes such as burglaries and motor vehicle thefts. He came under fire for his handling of fentanyl cases as well.

In remarks made after his defeat became imminent, Boudin said his ouster was the result of right-wing billionaires using their money to prey on voters’ fear of crime.

"People are angry, they're frustrated, and I want to be very clear about what happened tonight: The right-wing billionaires outspent us three to one, they exploited an environment in which people are appropriately upset, and they created an electoral dynamic where we were literally shadowboxing," he said. "Voters were not given an opportunity to choose between criminal justice reform and something else. They were given an opportunity to voice their frustrations and their outrage and they took that opportunity."

Boudin must vacate the office no later than 10 days after Tuesday’s election is certified. At that point, a successor chosen by Mayor London Breed will assume office.