Former Municipal Court Judge Pat Dugan is taking another crack at District Attorney Larry Krasner.
Dugan, after failing to defeat the incumbent in the Democratic primary, has opted to accept the Republican nomination and will be opposite Krasner on the ballot in November’s general election.
He announced his decision over the weekend and reportedly filed the necessary campaign paperwork Monday, the deadline for candidates nominated by a party to withdraw from the race.
No Republicans entered May’s district attorney primary, and the local GOP encouraged party members to write-in Dugan. The initiative garnered more than 6,400 votes – far more than the 1,000 needed for Dugan to get the nod, Republican officials said.
Dugan, in the days before the May primary, told Metro he had “no intent of accepting the Republican nomination,” after the GOP write-in campaign became public.
In a written statement, Dugan’s campaign described the former judge as an “independent Democrat” who decided to run under the GOP banner “after a close examination of the incumbent district attorney’s record.”
“Larry Krasner’s policies have brought chaos to our city with rampant lawlessness, open-air drug trafficking, and skyrocketing violence,” Dugan said in a statement announcing his second campaign. “He has virtually legalized shoplifting, tolerated illegal firearms, and turned a blind eye to the trafficking of women and the poisoning of our communities.
“He has abandoned countless crime victims. His lies, lack of integrity, lectures, and ‘let them loose’ philosophy have failed all of us.”
Dugan could not be reached for an interview.
Echoing the rhetoric of his primary campaign, Dugan, in the the statement, promised to “enforce the law fairly and equally for all, whether the defendant is a police officer or an average citizen.”
Krasner’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment. In an interview prior to the primary, he said had “never seen a Democrat so embraced by the Republican Party in my entire life as what I’m seeing here.”
On May 20, Krasner pulled in nearly 44,000 more ballots than Dugan, and the vote share was 64% to 36%. Overall turnout was low, with less than 17% of voters casting a ballot. Pennsylvania holds closed primaries, meaning only registered Democrats weighed in on the race.
Still, Dugan faces steep odds on Nov. 4. There are nearly six Democrats for every member of the GOP among registered voters in Philadelphia, according to data from the City Commissioners.
Leaders in the city’s GOP celebrated Dugan’s decision to accept the nomination.
“Philadelphians will finally have a real choice between someone committed to protecting our citizens and our city versus Larry Krasner who is a proven advocate for the very criminals he is supposed to prosecute,” said Vince Fenerty, chairman of the Republican City Committee, in a statement.
“Firing Larry Krasner has always been a top priority for me and for Northeast Philadelphia,” state Sen. Joe Picozzi added. “Pat Dugan is a proven leader who will put victims before politics, enforce the law fairly, and make our streets safe again.”
Meanwhile, Bob Brady, the longtime leader of the city’s Democratic Party, called the move a “total disgrace,” in remarks to the Inquirer.
“He’s got zero integrity. Zero,” the former Congressman told the newspaper.
Brady and the Democratic City Committee did not endorse a candidate in May, leaving the decision up to individual wards.
