Republican contender Nathan Hochman hopes to unseat California AG Rob Bonta

Republican Nathan Hochman hopes to pose one question to California voters when they head to the polls this fall: "Do feel more safe and secure today than you have in the last two, four, six, eight years?"

OAKLAND, Calif. - Republican Nathan Hochman hopes to pose one question to California voters when they head to the polls this fall: "Do feel more safe and secure today than you have in the last two, four, six, eight years?"

Hochman is one of the candidates challenging the state’s current Attorney General Rob Bonta for his seat. Bonta was appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom last year.

"We are so the far left of the criminal justice agenda, I’m running to the hard middle," said Hochman. "The hard middle is the common sense, pragmatic approach to criminal justice."

Hochman is a former US assistant attorney general, assistant U.S. attorney and a criminal defense attorney.

He is pitching a "tough on crime" approach, he says with room for reform and diversion programs. He wants to focus on issues like homelessness and the fentanyl crisis.

Hochman is also supporting recall efforts against the district attorneys in San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Newsom names Rob Bonta to California Attorney General

KTVU's Greg Lee has reaction to the nomination.

"That says that violent and serious offenders should not be prosecuted to the full extent of the law and that they should be let out early before they serve their full sentence, I couldn’t disagree more," said Hochman.

Hochman faces a stiff challenge for the state’s center-right leaning voters.

"I’m a prosecutor, I stand up for crime victims, I stand up for public safety," said Schubert in a recent interview with ‘The Issue Is.’ "Public safety is not an R (republican) or a D (democrat) issue."

Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert is a lifelong Republican, running as an independent. She brings name recognition from prosecuting the "Golden State Killer."

"While she’s a solid prosecutor, I think my qualifications and credentials make me ready for this job on day one," said Hochman.

Perhaps the biggest challenge for Hochman, Schubert and Republican Eric Early: a blue electorate that hasn’t elected a Republican to statewide office since 2006.

"There are children, there are parents, there are siblings, they are our neighbors, they are community members," said Bonta at a recent crime victims’ rally. "We can honor them by creating a vision of California that is rooted in justice and in healing."

He and other Democrats called for investments in crime prevention and community-based approaches.

Bonta’s raised significantly more money than his challengers to this point.

Primary Day is June 7 and the two who recieve the most votes advance to the general election.