The two 2024 candidates for Multnomah County District Attorney meet for a debate Thursday evening from 6:30-7:30 p.m., hosted by KGW and The Oregonian. Incumbent DA Mike Schmidt and challenger Senior Deputy DA Nathan Vasquez will each be answering questions from our moderators, in addition to some video questions submitted by KGW viewers. Elected in 2020 on a progressive platform, Schmidt has helmed the DA's office over a particularly challenging four years marked by rampant homelessness and drug use in Portland, alongside a major spike in homicides. Critics have blamed Schmidt for many of those problems, something he refutes. Vasquez, on the other hand, has been a career prosecutor in the DA's office for decades — but this marks his first foray into a political campaign, meaning he lacks a comparable record as an elected official. 00:00 Introduction 02:21 Prosecuting protesters 07:14 Relationship with police 10:07 Measure 110 rollback 13:27 Mandatory drug treatment 15:27 Downtown safer streets 18:03 Camping ban enforcement 20:54 Racial disparities 24:28 Reducing gun violence 27:17 Small crime perception 30:07 Teenagers and fentanyl 35:04 Severe mental health 38:12 Public defender crisis 42:12 Office leadership 44:40 Positive impact program 48:08 Role of elected DA 50:50 Biggest regret 52:51 Lightning round Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/c/KGWNews8 Watch the latest KGW newscast: https://www.kgw.com/watch Get the KGW app: https://kgw.com/appredirect