As you probably know, there are fewer progressive DAs around today than there were a few weeks ago. George Gascon was blown away in LA County by a former Republican turned moderate. Also in California, Alameda County DA Pamela Price was recalled on election day. All of this follows the recall of San Francisco's progressive DA, Chesa Boudin, in 2022. And don't forget, Multnomah County, home of Portland, OR which voted out progressive DA Mike Schmidt back in May.

It has been a good run, but unfortunately there are still a lot of progressive DAs out there, many of whom were helped into office after 2020 by left-wing billionaire George Soros.

The Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund, which tracks spending by Soros and affiliated organizations, estimated that as of January 2024 Soros had spent at least $50 million in direct and indirect spending over the past decade to support candidates in DA races.

The liberal billionaire’s donations can be difficult to trace because they are sometimes funneled through a tangle of national and state-level PACs, allied organizations, nonprofits and other entities.

But as you probably noticed, things have changed in 2024. Some left-wing billionaires are backing away from politics or at least from identity politics. More importantly, Elon Musk has arrived on the scene and seems to be interested in becoming the anti-Soros. 

Today the Washington Post has a story up noting that Musk has expressed interest in going after some of the remaining Soros-backed DAs in the US.

The tech mogul told advisers shortly before the election that America PAC should challenge “Soros DAs,” referring to a cohort of progressive district attorneys across the country who received support from Soros and affiliated organizations, according to two people familiar with Musk’s plans who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private conversations...

The Tesla CEO said in a live stream on Election Day that America PAC would “aim to weigh in heavily” on future races for the House, Senate and local district attorney offices.

Musk also posted this on X in response to someone else who noted there were 6 progressive DAs up for reelection in the next year.

Interesting @America https://t.co/XhXTDoREnF

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 19, 2024

So it seems that Musk really is taking an interest in this. Meanwhile, George Soros has now handed control of his fortune to his son Alex who has vowed to keep up the fight. And this could set up a clash of the titans that unleash a lot of outside money on both sides in some of these races.

Or maybe not. It's worth noting that both George Gascon and Pamela Price got nothing from Alex Soros in the 2024 election. Asked about the decision to leave Gascon to his fate, a Soros spokesman said he wasn't abandoning Gascon so much as focusing on other priorities.

“Mr. Soros’s focus this cycle is on national elections, particularly the presidential contest. This reflects the unprecedented stakes facing the nation and should not be misconstrued as an abandonment of Gascón or other local leaders who are implementing effective and humane approaches to public safety,” a spokesperson for Soros said. “Los Angeles County District Attorney Gascón has George Soros’s endorsement.”

Polls showed for months that Gascon was going to lose bigly and that's exactly what happened. In other words, even Alex Soros doesn't want to throw money down a hole. So don't assume he's going to ride to the defense of all of these DAs, not if it looks like the electorate has turned on them.

Finally, it's worth noting that Alex Soros and Musk had an exchange on X last week in which they seemed to agree to meet and have a conversation. It started when Soros argued that Trump had no mandate and that progressives shouldn't shrink back after the loss.

It is not a powerful mandate, and the numbers are important “they provide Democrats and progressives, however, is an argument against despair and surrender”. This was a close election. Not a surprise! https://t.co/DWgGy4QEDa

— Alex Soros (@AlexanderSoros) November 19, 2024

Musk responded:

I often learn most from people whose views are different than my own. Open to meeting.

— Alex Soros (@AlexanderSoros) November 19, 2024

Will the meeting happen? If it does, will word leak? I guess we'll have to wait to find out. But meanwhile, I'm hopeful about the prospect of more Soros-backed DAs packing their bags for good in the coming year.