In Orlando, Fla., on Tuesday, voters returned Monique Worrell, a Democrat, to the prosecutor’s office by a wide margin.
The vote repudiated a decision by Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, to suspend Ms. Worrell from office last year, when he accused her of allowing “violent offenders, drug traffickers, serious juvenile offenders, and pedophiles to evade incarceration.” It also reinforced the popularity of Ms. Worrell’s promises to reduce both crime and the number of people behind bars.
But in Tampa, Fla., Andrew Warren, another liberal prosecutor who had been removed from office by Governor DeSantis, lost his bid for re-election. He was defeated by the Republican who had been appointed to replace him. Mr. Warren had vowed not to prosecute those who seek or provide abortions.
The two races exemplified the mixed picture that has emerged since Donald J. Trump made crime a big theme of his campaign, seeking to tie murder and illicit drugs to migrants at the border. Many Republican candidates had criticized liberal policies that they said eroded public safety.
Law enforcement-related races across the country were overshadowed by the presidential contest and a wave of support for Republicans. But they were also highly contingent on local circumstances.
Prosecutors who supported policies aimed at rehabilitation and reducing racial disparities won new seats and fended off challengers. At the same time, voters in California, Arizona and Colorado rolled back some criminal justice reforms, toughened penalties and ousted liberal prosecutors in Los Angeles and Oakland, Calif.
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