Philadelphia's District Attorney Race: Everything You Need to Know Before Tuesday's Election

Philadelphia voters head to the polls next Tuesday, November 4, to decide who will serve as the city's top prosecutor for the next four years. The race features an unusual rematch between incumbent District Attorney Larry Krasner and former Municipal Court Judge Patrick Dugan, who switched from Democrat to Republican after losing the May primary.

The Candidates

Larry Krasner, a progressive reformer who has led Philadelphia's prosecutor's office since 2018, is seeking his third term. Before becoming DA, Krasner spent over three decades as a civil rights attorney, representing movements including Black Lives Matter and Occupy Philadelphia, often pro bono, and filing more than 75 civil rights lawsuits against the Philadelphia Police Department. 

Pat Dugan, the son of a single mother, attended St. Joseph's Preparatory High School on scholarship before enlisting in the U.S. Army Reserves in 1981 as a nuclear biological warfare specialist. Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, he reenlisted at age 42 and deployed to Iraq, where he helped conduct democracy training programs and served as a Judge Advocate General officer. He served as President Judge for about five years on the Municipal Court before stepping down in December to challenge Krasner.

The Primary and the Switch

In the May Democratic primary, Krasner won decisively with around 64% of the vote, carrying nearly all wards, while Dugan garnered just over 35% of the vote. Such a resounding defeat during a Democratic primary would have typically been the end of it. Philadelphia hasn't fielded a Republican DA candidate in decades, and given the absence of a GOP candidate, Krasner's primary victory was widely interpreted as tantamount to reelection.

But then something unexpected happened. Republicans organized a write-in campaign for Dugan, who received over 6,000 write-in votes and won the Republican nomination. In August, despite initially saying he would decline the nomination, Dugan announced he would accept it and run as a Republican.

The decision enraged Democrats. Philadelphia Democratic Party chair Robert Brady, who had not endorsed either candidate in the primary, immediately offered his support for Krasner after Dugan's switch, saying he would “do everything in my power to re-elect our Democratic nominee.” 

The Endorsements

The endorsement picture shifted dramatically after Dugan's party switch. During the primary, Dugan received an endorsement from the influential Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades Council. However, the building trades unions turned against Dugan after he decided to run as a Republican and didn’t endorse any candidate for the general election.

Krasner has received endorsements from City Council President Kenyatta Johnson, councilmembers Mike Driscoll from the 6th district, and several state representatives including Sean Dougherty, Pat Gallagher, Ed Neilson, and Jared Solomon. The Philadelphia Inquirer editorial board endorsed Krasner in May, and the Philadelphia Tribune also backed him.

Dugan received an endorsement from the Forward Party, founded by entrepreneur Andrew Yang. He has also received endorsements from several individual labor organizations including Teamsters Joint Council 53, IBEW 98, Firefighters and Paramedics Local 22, Sprinklerfitters 692, TWU 234, Steamfitters 420 and Plumbers 690.

The contest pits two competing philosophies against each other: Krasner's commitment to continuing to overhaul a historically punitive system and Dugan's pledge to restore a sense of safety and justice for victims who feel neglected by the current policies of the incumbent. The candidates agree on many issues, including mass incarceration, cash bail, sentencing reform, and alternatives to incarceration, but they offer some nuanced differences in certain areas.

While Krasner has called for an end to the death penalty in Pennsylvania, Dugan has said it could be appropriate in extreme and rare circumstances. Dugan says his campaign website states he would expand criminal prosecution “with a focus on detention, diversion, and deterrence to drastically reduce repeat offenders in violent crimes.”

Crime and the State of the Race

Crime rates in Philadelphia are dropping. Police data shows homicides and violent crimes are down year over year. Since Philadelphia's homicide rate began spiking to record levels in 2020 and peaking in 2021, homicides have fallen each of the last three years. In 2024, the city saw its lowest homicide rate in a decade.

The race has been noticeably quiet since the primary. There have been no public events featuring both candidates in the lead-up to the general election, and no television advertising. With about one month until the Nov. 4 general election, fundraising papers filed showed Dugan took in just $26,000, a small sum compared to the spring, when he took in hundreds of thousands of dollars and far out-raised Krasner.

The final week of the race has been dominated by the tragic case of Kada Scott, a 23-year-old Black woman whose remains were found in October. Dugan appeared on Fox News and NewsNation, where he slammed Krasner for his office's handling of previous cases against Keon King, the man accused of kidnapping and killing Scott. King had previously been arrested for allegedly kidnapping and assaulting his ex-girlfriend, but prosecutors withdrew the cases after the victim and witnesses did not come to court. Krasner has admitted that dropping charges against King in one of the cases was a mistake under his leadership.

Despite the recent controversy, Krasner is still the odds-on favorite to win. Democrats outnumber Republicans 6-1 in Philadelphia, and it has been 35 years since the city had a Republican district attorney. But in a city where only 16.6% of registered voters participated in the May primary, Dugan is hoping that increased general election turnout and voter frustration with crime could produce an upset. 

Tuesday will finally determine whether Philadelphia voters want to continue Krasner's progressive reforms or change course with Dugan's more pragmatic  approach. We’ll be keeping our eyes on the race here at The Philly Download.