Democratic Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner won the Democratic primary election on Tuesday, all but guaranteeing that he will secure another four years in office, according to The Associated Press.
Krasner defeated challenger Pat Dugan in the primary race for district attorney of Philadelphia, according to the Associated Press. No Republican is running for district attorney in the November general election, and Krasner’s primary win means he will likely carry the general election in deep-blue Philadelphia.
Dugan, a U.S. army veteran and former Philadelphia Municipal Court judge, framed his campaign around a push to “prioritize victims and punish criminals.” His campaign website says that “violent offenders will face the maximum penalties allowed by law” and that repeat offenders will “pay for their crimes.” Krasner won the 2017 Democratic primary for district attorney after a pro-Krasner super PAC received $1.45 million from left-wing philanthropist George Soros.
The end of mass incarceration in the United States means decarceration. It means we have to figure out how to get people out of prison who never belonged there in the first place.
— Larry Krasner (@Krasner4DA) September 1, 2021
Krasner has focused through his two terms on left-wing reforms to the justice system since taking office in 2018.
“We reduced the number of years of incarceration imposed by an estimated 40,000 years” from 2018 to 2023, the website for Krasner’s office boasts. “Reducing mass incarceration can make our city safer.”
Additionally, Krasner highlighted recent decreases in crime at the city level as a central campaign pitch. Police data indicates that homicides reported in Philadelphia were lower in 2024 by several dozen relative to when he took office in 2018. However, those numbers followed homicides spiking to an all-time high of more than 550 in 2021 under Krasner.
Early numbers for 2025 show mixed trends, with murders, robberies using guns and aggravated assaults using guns rising by double-digit percentage points over the past two 28-day periods. Other violent offenses have gone down and most are lower than in the same period from January to May in 2024.
Krasner told Axios he wanted to “totally eliminate cash bail” if reelected, though he said “existing state law” keeps him from enacting “the most effective version of bail reform.” Krasner already ended cash bail for a majority of crimes that were occurring in his district, arguing it’s unfair to “imprison people for poverty.”
Expanding “diversionary programs” that allow offenders to avoid punishment was another top priority for Krasner, he told Axios.
Criticism of Krasner became so widespread that state legislators passed a bipartisan law in 2023 giving some of Krasner’s authority to a new prosecutor position for Philadelphia’s public transit system. Supporters of the law said it was needed because Krasner is too soft on crime.
The district attorney also said he supports local officials refusing to assist deportation efforts by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“My office will not be commandeered by an out-of-control Trump administration,” Krasner told Axios about “ICE agents trying to break the law.”
Philadelphia has been a “sanctuary city” restricting local police cooperation with ICE since 2016. Krasner’s office has given free legal help to illegal migrants facing removal for rape, robbery, assault and other serious crimes, the Daily Caller News Foundation previously reported.
Krasner also drew criticism for starting a policy in 2018 to give shoplifters “summary offenses” — usually similar to a ticket — instead of jail time unless they steal more than $500. Retail theft arrests skyrocketed in 2024 to levels higher than any year on record through Krasner’s tenure, and he changed the policy in March to make jail time more likely for organized or repeat shoplifters.
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