Progressive candidate Deborah Gonzalez wins race to become Georgia’s first Latina DA

Progressive candidate Deborah Gonzalez will be Georgia’s first Latina district attorney after she won a race for the position on Tuesday.

Gonzalez told NBC News that her victory to become the Western Judicial Circuit district attorney will also make her the first woman to become the district attorney for the circuit and the first Puerto Rican woman in the country to be elected as district attorney. 

The progressive candidate defeated James Chafin in a runoff and will serve Clarke County, which contains the city of Athens, and Oconee County. The unofficial results show Gonzalez won about 51.66 percent of the vote, while Chafin earned 48.34 percent, according to NBC News. 

“We did this together,” she said in a video posted to Facebook on Tuesday. “This is the people’s vote. We are ready to roll up our sleeves, work really hard to bring justice to Athens and Oconee.”

Her platform includes ending cash bail for low-level crime, ending use of the death penalty and addressing racial disparity in the justice system.

Gonzalez, a former Georgia state House representative, could participate in the race after the Georgia Supreme Court unanimously ruled that Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) could not delay the election until November 2022 using a 2018 law, according to NBC News.

Her win comes on the heels of President-elect Joe Biden’s win in the Peach State – the first Democratic presidential candidate to win the state since 1992.

It also comes ahead of the Jan. 5 runoffs in the race as its two Senate races will determine which party controls the U.S. Senate.