Philadelphia district attorney race: What to know about incumbent Larry Krasner (D) and challenger Pat Dugan (R)

The 2025 Philadelphia district attorney’s race is unfolding as a highly unusual rematch — one that pits incumbent Larry Krasner against challenger Pat Dugan, this time across party lines.

Krasner, the progressive reformer who has led the city’s prosecutor’s office since 2018, fended off Dugan in a decisive Democratic primary in May and now faces him again in November after Dugan secured the Republican nomination via write-in votes.

Krasner won the Democratic primary with around 64% of the vote, carrying nearly all wards. Dugan garnered just over 35%. Given the absence of a Republican candidate before the general election cycle, that primary victory was widely interpreted as tantamount to reelection — until Dugan’s insurgent write-in campaign upended expectations.

That Dugan’s second attempt is considered a longshot in a city long considered a bastion of Democratic dominance where Krasner remains popular is reflected in a dearth of campaigning on either side. During the primary, Dugan ran professional campaign ads, including ones that attack Krasner, but those are missing this time around.



https://whyy.org/articles/philadelphia-election-2025-district-attorney-krasner-dugan/