Because no candidate received a majority in the first round, a runoff took place November 6, 2018, to elect the Orange County, California District Attorney.

[5] Rackauckas has faced criticism for allegedly mishandling jailhouse informants, making it more difficult to convict and sentence defendants.

The jailhouse informant scandal allegedly involving Rackauckas made it impossible to seek the death penalty for Dekraai.

[11][12] The American Civil Liberties Union filed a complaint claiming the alleged widespread use of jailhouse informants by Orange County law enforcement officeholders has continued for decades.

The United States Department of Justice and California Attorney General's office both launched probes investigating the jailhouse informant case.