Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner (D) was in high spirits after his primary victory on Tuesday as he is on track to serve a third term with the same soft-on-crime mindset.
Krasner said the city’s crime rate proves his approach to criminal justice works, and should he have a Republican challenger, that candidate will “find out” in the general election in November. The far-left DA beat out former municipal Judge Pat Dugan, who ran a more moderate campaign and raised more money than Krasner.
“When you believe in the potential of human beings to change or to avoid the crime in the first place, you end up with … the smallest number of homicides in years,” Krasner said after being declared the victor. “You end up with 45 innocent people out of jail, and you end up with the lowest number of Philadelphians in state prison and the lowest number of Philadelphians in county jail that I have seen since I became a lawyer in 1987.”
‘Many Philadelphians have lost so much faith in local leadership that they’ve simply checked out of the democratic process altogether.’
“So if it should turn out that I have a Republican opponent,” Krasner said to laughs from his supporters, “I have a question for that opponent and his rich friends from far away, and that question is, which part don’t you like? The safety or the fairness, and under the fairness is the freedom. Which part don’t you like?”
“You keep f’ing around. … In November, you gonna find out,” he concluded.
WHYY reported Krasner’s focus on fighting against President Donald Trump seemed to be a reason why voters came out to support him despite the rise in certain crimes during his tenure.
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Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner
Photo by Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images
PhillyCrimeUpdate, an X account that posts live updates from the city’s police scanner, told Blaze Media that Krasner’s electoral win is “deeply troubling” because it will bring more pain and suffering to law-abiding citizens in Philadelphia.
“While his supporters point to a recent drop in homicides, that decline follows record-breaking levels of violence under his watch. The truth is, we’re still seeing an unacceptably high number of murders, and there’s nothing to celebrate about returning from a crisis we should have never reached in the first place,” PhillyCrimeUpdate said.
“Krasner’s policies have consistently prioritized repeat violent offenders over the rights and safety of victims, especially in communities of color, the very people he claims to champion,” the account continued. “And yet, this re-election doesn’t reflect a citywide endorsement of that agenda; it reflects alarmingly low turnout and civic disengagement. Many Philadelphians have lost so much faith in local leadership that they’ve simply checked out of the democratic process altogether.”
The lack of a clear challenger from a Republican will only serve to give Krasner “another free pass,” and “this election outcome raises serious questions about where we’re headed as a city,” PhillyCrimeUpdate added.
WHYY noted Dugan could in theory run as a Republican if he gets 1,000 write-in votes certified for his name to appear on the ballot in November. More than 6,000 GOP voters casted a write-in vote in the Republican primary.
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Politics
