So what next?
This is the question to the district prosecutor of Philadelphia Larry Krasner, who almost secured himself the third term, winning Tuesday’s democratic basic basis against the former city court judge Patrick Dugan.
Sometimes the disputed, but relatively subdued campaign-such, which did not include television debate and saw only Krasner and Dugan led only sporadic forums for the head-the open Krasner spent a little time, what if he can do differently for the next four years.
»Read more: Like Larry Krasner was won by the District Prosecutor in Philadelphia – again
This is contrary to the last two election cycles of Krasner – firstly in 2017, when he conducted the campaign as a bold outsider, he decided to transform the office, which he perceived as too criminal, and then four years later, when he defended his progressive policy and said that he would continue to continue the crisis in the city in history in history.
This time the race largely focused on the seven years of Krasner as the best prosecutor of the city, and Dugan accused him of building a disorganized and clumsy office and suggested that the District Prosecutor He was not a “real reformer”.
Meanwhile, Krasner advertised his term and tried to emphasize the rapid murder and imprisonment indicator – claiming that Philadelphias are now safer and slower than for decades.
The District Prosecutor repeated this message when he moved to the city on Tuesday afternoon, speaking in an interview at the election lunch: “We continue the course that led us to such an extent that we have the lowest number of killings on May 20, which Philadelphia had had for over 50 years.”
And in his victory speech a few hours later he won as another milestone in this longer journey.
“The campaign did not necessarily start a few months ago – the campaign actually began in January first 2018.”, Krasner told its supporters, referring to when he was sworn in. “Because then the work began. And in democracy I would like to think, and I would like to hope that this is the work you do, and the results you get, and it is that you are a bit or more than someone more than someone more money. Television advertising.”
If Krasner would strengthen the re -election in November, he would be the second district prosecutor in Philadelphia for almost a century to serve more than two terms. (The first was Lynne Abraham.) He would also be one of the few progressive prosecutors in a country that will keep his long -term office. In recent years, his contemporaries in cities, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and Boston, have been displaced or decided to leave the work.
Here are several areas that can affect the future of the Krasner if it goes in the third term. There is no republican opponent, although GOP leaders found that they could provide Dugan with a place as nominated for a party, although the final result may not be known for several days (Dugan said he would reject the nod).
Either way, in a city where democratic voters strongly exceed Republicans, Krasner is a favorite to continue to act as the District Prosecutor of the City.
Do you oppose Trump?
From the moment he announced his re -election offer at the beginning of this year, Krasner aimed at an opponent who was not voting: President Donald Trump.
In the speeches and commercials of the campaign, Krasner advertised as a counterweight to the Republican President, saying that he would be a “lawyer of democracy” and would apply the power of his office to stand depending on the policy of the Trump administration, which could round local residents.
But it is not clear how often the Krasner office actually intersects with Trump over the next few years. And although Krasner said that he would not comply with federal orders, which may cause that he or his staff broke the law, admitted that the federal authorities – including immigration and right – are able to carry out operations in the city, even if he disagrees with them.
During the first term of Trump, the most material sign of the local friction between the Krasner office and the federal government was the report of the district prosecutor with the then prosecutor William Mcswain, the denominator of Trump, who was often and openly critical of Krasner.
The up-to-date US prosecutor David Metcalf – who has not yet been confirmed by the US Senate – has retained a clearly lower profile in the first few months as the best federal prosecutor in the region. It will turn out how the relationship between his office and the dwarf can develop.
Staff turnover
One of the areas that Dugan tried to emphasize during the campaign was what he called a high level of rotation in the Krasner office.
Krasner did not hide what he perceived as a need to change after he was sworn in – dismissed 31 prosecutors during the first week of office in 2018, and he and his employees later threw themselves into life as part of the necessary change in the office of the office.
But even some supporters of Krasner asked the question over the years whether the turnover sometimes influenced the results in the office. Dozens of office veterans have left in recent years, and this month two supervisors have left the unit for convicts (Ciu) integrity, whose work Krasner often indicated as the most vital among the office.
Krasner said that the supervisors went to up-to-date jobs elsewhere, and threw departure as a reflection of the quality of lawyers in his office. He said that this was “positive news for the country”, that people can move from his office to other roles, which often come with better salaries or a lower level of stress – even if the latest departure left without two best leaders.
“I would never like to cut the wings of a high crucible,” said Krasner at a press conference at the beginning of this month, when the departure was asked. “They are high.
Ongoing racing
It is true that violence has dropped to levels that have not been seen in Philadelphia for decades: according to police statistics, 83 people died this year in murder, the lowest pace of murder since the 1960s.
But officials, including Krasner and police commissioner Kevin Bethel, have long said that the reasons are complicated and difficult to determine, as was the case when violence grew.
Anyway, the office of the District Prosecutor is still responsible for prosecution of tens of thousands of cases in court each year.
According to data published on the page on which he runs the website, which dropped below 30% below 30% during the pandemic – they began to reflect slightly last year.
But thousands of cases remain unresolved each year. The team, as he claims, that throughout the year only about 35% of cases of crime with the use of violence that have achieved the verdict, caused a conviction, while more than half was withdrawn, released or led to acquittal-like-like pre-funda.
Staff writers Julia Terruso and Fallon Roth contributed to this article.
