Philadelphia Democrat District Attorney Lawrence Krasner survived a primary challenge from Judge Pat Dugan on Tuesday, but the two could potentially face a rematch in November. (Getty)
Krasner, seeking a third term, has been lambasted for his progressive criminal justice policies and faced impeachment proceedings from Republicans in the now-Democrat-controlled state House of Representatives.
In 2023, a Commonwealth Court judge ruled the GOP-controlled Senate cannot hold a trial because the House’s articles of impeachment didn’t meet the bench’s standards.
One top Republican, 2022 gubernatorial nominee Sen. Doug Mastriano, who notably opposed Krasner’s impeachment, quipped, "Philadelphia: They want Krasner – they like him. That’s a huge mandate."
While there was a drop in homicides year over year in 2023, Philadelphia saw a spike from 351 the year he took office in 2018 to 562 in 2021. Krasner also ceased charges for certain offenses like marijuana possession, eliminated cash bail for some offenders and has sought generally more lenient sentences than conservatives want.
In the city where then-Mayor James Kenney did a dance on social media to celebrate its inception as a sanctuary city, Krasner followed up by refusing to honor ICE detainer requests, saying that letting the feds tell him who to jail is unconstitutional. Krasner’s backing from about $1.45 million in political action committee support tied to Hungarian-American billionaire George Soros has also led to criticism.
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Last week, Dugan told PhillyVoice the city is feeling "Krasner fatigue" after eight years.
"Many people come up to me and tell stories about how upset they are with some of the policies with the DA's office," he said.
Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital.
He joined Fox News in 2013 as a writer and production assistant.
Charles covers media, politics and culture for Fox News Digital.
Charles is a Pennsylvania native and graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. Story tips can be sent to charles.creitz@fox.com.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/soros-backed-philadelphia-da-survives-primary-challenge-potential-gop-wrinkle-ahead