28-05-2025
Philly district attorney race could see a rematch in November
A Democrat is on track to win Philadelphia's Republican nomination for district attorney.
Why it matters: Pat Dugan lost last week's Democratic primary to Larry Krasner, but a loophole in Pennsylvania election law could lead to a repeat matchup later this year.
State of play: Dugan likely received enough Republican write-in votes in the May 20 GOP primary to be on the party's ticket in November, Philly's Republican City Committee chairperson, Vincent Fenerty, tells Axios.
By the numbers: More than 7,100 write-in votes were cast in the GOP primary for district attorney, as of the latest count Tuesday, Nick Custodio, deputy commissioner for City Commissioner Lisa Deeley, tells Axios.
And it appears that "Pat Dugan" received 1,000 write-ins in that primary, the threshold needed to win the nomination, says Custodio.
The fine print: The city's election board has yet to certify the results — so nothing's official yet.
Yes, but: Fenerty says Dugan could decline the Republican nomination and ensure his name is not on the November ballot.
Dugan's campaign had said before the primary that he's committed to not running as a Republican.
The Dugan campaign didn't return Axios' request for comment on whether Dugan had changed his mind after the write-in support.
What they're saying: Philly Republicans would run Dugan as an "independent Democrat" on the party's line for district attorney, Fenerty says.
Fenerty adds that the decision is up to Dugan and that the party isn't giving him a deadline to decide.
"Does [Dugan] want to do it to make the city better? We're hoping he does. We're hoping he sees a path to victory," Fenerty says.
