Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner has won the Democratic nomination to set him up for a third term in office, fending off a more moderate challenger, Decision Desk HQ projects.
Krasner defeated former Municipal Court Judge Pat Dugan in a race that served as a proxy battle between the progressive and moderate wings of the Democratic Party. A self-identified progressive, Krasner has been a common target for Republicans pushing back against liberal-leaning cities’ handling of crime and public safety issues.
Krasner has made several major changes to the district attorney’s office during his time in office, which began in 2018. He ended prosecutions for possession of marijuana, reduced sentencing for certain crimes and pushed to eliminate cash bail for nonviolent offenses.
Dugan agreed with Krasner on numerous points, including on cash bail, sentencing reform and broader opposition to mass incarceration. But they differed on issues like the death penalty, a policy that Krasner entirely opposes and Dugan believes should be used in rare, extreme cases.
But Dugan has slammed Krasner for his handling of prosecutions while in office, arguing that he would be aggressive in pursuing firearms offenses while Krasner hasn’t.
“He has not been a prosecutor for the last seven and a half years. He ignores victims, he ignores crimes, he ignores victims’ families. It’s not the way it’s supposed to be,” Dugan told a local Philadelphia-based Fox affiliate.
The former judge, who left his position to run for district attorney, has blamed Krasner for the overall rise in crime and retail theft in the city.
But Krasner argued that his policies are beginning to work after a surge in crime during the COVID-19 pandemic. He’s pointed to a more recent decline in homicides.
Krasner’s win in the primary should give him a clear path to reelection to a third term in office, as no Republican filed to run for the office in the heavily Democratic-leaning city. He’s overcome adversity in the past, surviving a similar primary challenge in 2021 from a more moderate candidate who lost by more than 30 points.
He also faced impeachment from a GOP-controlled state legislature in 2022 over his handling of crime and public safety in the city, but the trial in the state Senate was indefinitely delayed and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled last year that the articles against him expired.
