Your election guide to Philly's district attorney race
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Larry Krasner and Pat Dugan. Photos: Courtesy of the campaigns
All eyes are on Tuesday's election for top Philadelphia prosecutor — the city's most consequential contest.
Why it matters: The district attorney shapes how Philly prosecutes crime and oversees a nearly $60 million budget and hundreds of lawyers.
State of play: District Attorney Larry Krasner, a two-term Democrat, is facing former judge Pat Dugan, who's running on the Republican ticket after losing May's Democratic primary.
Context: Republicans bankrolled a successful write-in campaign in the GOP primary to get Dugan on the November ballot via a loophole in Pennsylvania election law.
- Dugan, who previously said he wouldn't run as a Republican, is calling himself an "independent Democrat." He recently received the endorsement of Andrew Yang's Forward Party.
Reality check: Krasner is heavily favored to win.
- Registered Democrats vastly outnumber Republicans in the city.
Between the lines: The election comes as Philly has seen steep declines in homicides this year from record highs during the pandemic.
Meet the candidates
🔵 Krasner, a former criminal defense and civil rights lawyer, is campaigning as a defender against President Donald Trump's policies and immigration crackdowns.
- He has enacted several progressive reforms since taking office in 2018, including eliminating cash bail for certain low-level crimes and revamping the office's juvenile diversion program.
- His office has exonerated more than three dozen wrongfully convicted prisoners, while charging and winning convictions against some police officers for on-duty killings.
Yes, but: Krasner has also survived a Republican-led effort to impeach him, and faced pushback from Philly elected officials and the police union over his progressive policies.
🔴 Dugan, a veteran, was a municipal court judge for more than 15 years.
- He's pledged to seek maximum penalties for violent offenders and maintain some existing reforms, like certain diversionary programs.
- Dugan's plan includes restructuring the office into six geographic divisions and recruiting local lawyers, per his campaign website.
Go deeper: Meet Philadelphia district attorney candidate Pat Dugan