Krasner is the latest Democrat to face criticism for crime policies.
Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner faces a reelection battle, thanks in part to his opponent Pat Dugan’s shots at Krasner’s crime record. The further left wing of the Democrat party has faced renewed skepticism over its ability to manage crime rates, especially in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination and the stabbing death of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte. Dugan’s challenge of Krasner’s pulse on Philadelphia’s safety is the latest in a trend of ‘centrist Democrats’ challenging more progressive members of their party.
In 2023, Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala won a general election against progressive Democrat Matt Dugan, who previously defeated Zappala in the Democrat primary earlier that year. Allegheny Republicans and centrists organized a write-in campaign for Zappala to win as a Republican during the general election.
Pat Dugan built his unsuccessful primary campaign by targeting Krasner as soft-on-crime in a city that was struggling to contain violent murders. His decision to take a second chance at unseating Krasner came as a surprise to locals, after Dugan initially said he would not accept the Republican nomination if offered. Dugan, who considers himself a lifelong Democrat, said he felt comfortable challenging the Democrat primary voters because of extremely low turnout in the May election.
“It seems like the people who have the most vocal opinions come out and the silent majority stay home in the primaries,” Dugan said. “My feeling from talking to Philadelphians is that they are fed up with the far-left policies of the Democratic Party, in particular what Larry Krasner’s been doing.”
Krasner criticized Dugan for accepting the Republican nomination, accusing his opponent of “lying” to the public. He further called out Dugan for his willingness to work across the aisle with Republicans, arguing that doing so helped President Trump “destroy the government of the United States to bring about a military dictatorship.” During the primaries, Krasner frequently referenced President Trump, and blamed the president for the issues Philadelphia faced with violent crime during his tenure as DA.
Krasner spent recent campaign events discussing President Trump’s nationwide crackdown on violent crime, while Dugan laid out actionable crime strategies he would undertake as DA should he unseat Krasner. Independent fact checkers disputed Krasner’s claims of superior prosecution rates for violent criminals. Recent data indicates upwards of 57% of firearm cases in Philadelphia are dismissed, and only 82% of non-fatal shootings are prosecuted.
Dugan’s willingness to buck his party mirrored a trend in New York City, with several prominent former Democrats aiming to defeat self-described Socialist Zohran Mamdani in the mayoral race this year. Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and incumbent Mayor Eric Adams – who opted out of primary races this year – are running as independents against Mamdani. Others argued that the new trend of Democrats temporarily leaving their party to challenge elected officials highlights an ever-growing divide in the party that has not reportedly healed since losing to Donald Trump in November 2016.
