Philly district attorney race could see a rematch in November
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Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
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.
Worth noting: If Dugan doesn't run on the Republican line, the GOP will have no candidate for district attorney in a general election for the first time in decades.