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Associated Press
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Larry Krasner wins Philadelphia's Democratic primary for a third term as district attorney
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Progressive stalwart Larry Krasner has won Philadelphia's Democratic primary election Tuesday to continue serving as district attorney for another four years in the heavily Democratic city after withstanding an impeachment attempt and years of criticism by President Donald Trump and other Republicans. Krasner's victory all but guarantees him a third term in office as the city's top prosecutor, with no Republicans filing to run in November's general election. The longtime civil rights lawyer defeated Pat Dugan, a U.S. Army veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and was the head administrative judge of the Philadelphia Municipal Court before he resigned to run. Krasner originally ran in 2017 on a progressive platform that included opposition to the death penalty, cash bail, prosecuting minor nonviolent offenses and a culture of mass incarceration, as well as holding police accountable. Krasner survived a failed impeachment attempt by Republican state lawmakers and years of Trump and other Republicans using him as a campaign trail punching bag amid rising crime in Philadelphia and other U.S. cities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The past couple years has seen crime rates falling in Philadelphia — and elsewhere — while the city's jail population is down by almost half in the past decade. Like some big-city Democrats, Krasner has turned toward pro-public safety messaging, saying he is serious about pursuing violent crime and touting new technologies and strategies that his office is using to solve or prevent crime. He also tried to show that he is combating quality-of-life crimes, recently announcing a new unit to prosecute illegal dumping, such as household trash, tires, construction materials and more. He repeatedly invoked Trump during the campaign and suggested that he is the best candidate to stand up to the president. Krasner made his campaign slogan 'F—- around and find out,' and invoked it in a TV ad where he cast himself as the foil to 'Trump and his billionaire buddies, the shooting groups and gun lobby, the old system that denied people justice for too long. They can come for Philly, but I'm not backing down.' Labor unions were split between Krasner and Dugan during the primary. But Krasner held his base of support among progressives, reformers and influential members of the city's Black political establishment. While some of Krasner's fellow progressive prosecutors around the country were forced out of office, Krasner has maintained that the progressive movement remains ascendant and influential, despite setbacks.
CBS News
21-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner wins Democratic primary, setting him up for 3rd term as top prosecutor
Philadelphia incumbent District Attorney Larry Krasner won the Democratic primary Tuesday, the Associated Press projects. Without any Republicans in the running, Krasner is likely to win a third term as the city's top prosecutor in the general election in November. Krasner was first elected in 2017 and has campaigned on making the city "safer and freer." Krasner defeated former Philadelphia judge Pat Dugan in the primary. In Pennsylvania, the term for a district attorney is four years. Who is Larry Krasner? Krasner started his law career as a public defender in Philadelphia in the late 1980s, according to his campaign website. He started his own law practice in 1993. During his tenure as DA, Krasner has focused on supporting victims, exonerating innocent people, reducing incarceration and holding police accountable, his site says. Krasner won overwhelmingly in 2021 with 71.8% of the vote in the general election over Republican Chuck Peruto. Krasner beat Carlos Vega with 66.8% of the vote in the Democratic primary that year. During his second term, Republican lawmakers from Pennsylvania's House of Representatives tried to impeach Krasner over his policies, but the state Supreme Court ruled that the articles of impeachment had expired. Critics of Krasner, who's known as a progressive prosecutor, say he should be tougher on crime. Philadelphia police data shows that 2025 has so far seen fewer homicides and less violent crime overall compared to this time last year, and the total number of homicides per year has dropped every year since 2021. What does a DA do? The district attorney prosecutes crimes committed in a county and works with law enforcement to ensure laws are upheld and citizens are protected. The DA has authority over criminal investigations and prosecutions, including hearings, trials, guilty pleas and appeals.
