Former Deputy Commonwealth Attorney Challenges Incumbent

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Circuit, General District and Juvenile and Domestic Relations courts. He blasts the incumbent for running an “office in free fall,” saying 13 qualified attorneys have left in 13 months due a “lack of support” and low morale.

The contest plays out against a national backdrop in which numerous prosecutors—including those in Fairfax and Loudoun counties— have been attacked by conservatives who blame an increase in pandemicera crimes on liberal reforms they traditionally characterize as soft on criminals.

Dehghani-Tafti, after being subject to a recall campaign, asserts that she delivered on her campaign promises, obtaining convictions on unsolved homicide and rape cases left behind by predecessor Theo Stamos, ending requests for cash

“Change from Within: Reimagining the 21st Century Prosecutor.”

She counters Katcher’s argument about the rash of staff departures, saying many left for performance reasons or better opportunities — notably judicial nominees W. Michael Chick Jr. (now on the Juvenile and Domestic Court) and Cari Steele (whose nomination for General District Court is pending in Richmond).

Katcher responds that the 13 doesn’t include those nominees. He also accuses her of delaying cases that were then dismissed, though she denies it, pointing to the Virginia Supreme Court’s emergency orders during Covid that paused trials.

Dehghani-Tafti points to an “asymmetrical situation” in that Katcher is free to “take shots” at her, but her incumbency requires her to respect privacy. When she entered office, she kept on many attorneys who had supported her predecessor—including some Katcher himself managed--“because I needed to tested her “ineptitude” and “deflection of blame” after she criticized police handling of a search of a murder suspect, who’d been released earlier, seen as unconstitutional. As reported by Arlnow, she tweeted that she was “not casting blame on anyone: the police did a search they may have thought was constitutional; defense counsel zealously represented her client; the judge issued a ruling he believed correct. Those 2 deaths are tragic; that they’re now being exploited for lies is wrong.” Katcher, who has knocked on nearly 900 doors campaigning--first in Falls Church then in Arlington-worries that the departures of attorneys from the 20-21-attorney staff “are not easy to replace because they’re in high demand” elsewhere. The junior prosecutors “need training, supervision and mentorship,” he says. Dehghani-Tafti “lacks relevant experience or the apparent interest in being a prosecutor,” he adds, noting that she has never personally prosecuted a case. “I have the relevant experience to lead the office.” of terrifying for a junior prosecutor. They need advice and support from someone with relevant experience as a prosecutor.”

Dehghani-Tafti responds that the commonwealth’s attorney “has to do what only the CA can do.” The job is “not a line prosecutor, nor should it cases. I support my team in ways unique to me.” She cites her years as a defense attorney acquiring experience in court case forensics. “It’s lazy to say if you’re not a prosecutor you can’t do the work. We need a fresh way to look at problems.”

Katcher portrays crime as rising,