Six Consider Taking on Larry Krasner for District Attorney

At least a dozen Philadelphia politicians are considering running against District Attorney Larry Krasner next year, including a former city court judge.

The Democratic primary is still eight months away, and candidates considering it now may have to wait to announce their campaigns or drop out of the race altogether.

But the early interest in the district attorney race from a handful of Democrats — including two former City Council members and a state representative — underscores the extent to which Krasner, a national leader in the progressive prosecutors’ movement, is a polarizing figure. Sources told The Inquirer in April that Krasner was planning to seek a third term, a prospect that has his opponents looking for challengers.

Some Democrats are coalescing around Municipal Court Judge Patrick F. Dugan, who ran unsuccessfully for the Supreme Court last year. Dugan has spoken to influential players about a potential run and could enter the race after the presidential election this fall, according to sources familiar with his views.

Incumbent judges are prohibited from publicly engaging in politics, meaning Dugan would have to resign as soon as he formally announces his campaign. The judge did not respond to a request for comment.

» READ MORE: Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner is running for a third term, sources say

Other names have also emerged, including former City Council member Derek Green, state Rep. Jared Solomon and attorney Keir Bradford-Grey, a former public defender chief. Former prosecutor Carlos Vega, who unsuccessfully challenged Krasner four years ago, has said he might run again, and losing Republican mayoral candidate David Oh said he was “open to it.”

Krasner has not confirmed his intention to seek re-election, saying in an interview that he would announce it one way or another “closer to the new year.” Of his potential rivals, Krasner said, “The job of district attorney is incredibly important, and I certainly understand why people would want the job that I currently have.”

Dugan, 64, already appears to be gaining support. A local union business manager, who spoke on condition of anonymity so as not to jeopardize the judge’s ethical standing, said he has offered to facilitate Dugan gain support from politically influential construction unions.

“He’s as serious as a heart attack,” a union official said of Dugan’s intention to run. “If he makes his move, I support him 100 percent, and I know a lot of other people would support him as well.”

A series of campaign-style domain names, including: judgeduganforda.com AND duganforphillyda.com — registered online. Union leaders and political consultants are already circulating talking points about his qualifications: military service with a Bronze Star, tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, and 17 years on the City Court, where he recently served a four-year term as presiding judge.

Those issues also suggest Dugan could make the dysfunction in Krasner’s office a key issue in his potential campaign, portraying the judge as a stronger advocate for crime victims.

Dugan, a Northeast Philadelphia resident, has maintained close ties to Northeast Philadelphia Democratic leaders and previously served as a staff attorney for former Councilman Rick Mariano. Both have long been affiliated with Local 98 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, one of the state’s most politically influential unions.

When — or if — Dugan will drop out and publicly commit to the race remains unclear. Candidates in competitive city primaries typically start campaigns well before the end of the year because it gives them extra time to raise funds. The city enforces strict annual limits on political contributions.

The judge would be the first major candidate to run against Krasner, who took office in 2018 on a wave of reforms and has been praised by progressives for his approach to criminal justice. Krasner has fought to reduce mass incarceration and surveillance, decriminalize certain minor crimes and overturn wrongful convictions.

However, his tenure was almost constantly criticized.

» READ MORE: District Attorney Larry Krasner files lawsuit seeking to overturn SEPTA special counsel’s ruling as unconstitutional

Republicans in the state House tried to pass it last year. Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro stripped him of prosecutorial jurisdiction over SEPTA crime in May. And his critics are as vocal as ever, saying he cherry-picks police officers, fails to adequately support victims of crime and oversees an office with a low conviction rate in gun cases.

Democratic voters rejected the anti-Krasner frenzy in 2021, re-electing him by a landslide over Vega, a former homicide prosecutor who ran on a tough-on-crime platform. Vega — who was fired by Krasner and unsuccessfully sued him for discrimination — said Wednesday he would run again if no other viable candidate emerged.

“The only thing that would stop me from throwing my hat in the ring is if I saw that there was a better candidate — one who had a very good chance of winning,” he said. “Then I would put on my supporter’s hat.”

Some of Krasner’s critics believe a woman of color with litigation experience would be in a better position to oust him next year, pointing to the Bradford-Gray case.

She also had been rumored to be a potential challenger after finishing fourth in the state’s crowded attorney general primary in April. She declined to comment Wednesday.

Several other candidates are still considering whether to join the race, including Green, who ran unsuccessfully for mayor last year and confirmed in April that he was considering running for district attorney. He declined to comment further.

Sources said state Rep. Jared Solomon, a Democrat who represents parts of Northeast Philadelphia and ran unsuccessfully for state attorney general, also expressed interest in the race. Solomon has been a vocal critic of Krasner, whom he described as “woefully incompetent.”

Solomon said this week he is “focused on advancing Governor Shapiro’s agenda in the House of Representatives and increasing the Democratic majority.”

Oh, another former council member who ran an unsuccessful mayoral campaign as a Republican in deep-blue Philadelphia last year, said he also was asked to run in the Democratic primary. Once a practicing lawyer, Oh worked as an assistant district attorney for three years before entering politics.

He added that another “Oh!” campaign is far from certain.

“I’m very open, like open to anything, and people have thrown things at me,” Oh said. “But there’s no real intention behind it. It’s easy for people to say, ‘Run for something,’ but the whole process is very complicated.”

The article was co-authored by Samantha Melamed and Ellie Rushing.