Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner will run for a third term, he said on Tuesday, vowing to make the city "safer and freer" and touting his record since he was first elected in 2017.
Krasner, who faces a Democratic primary challenge from former Philadelphia Municipal Judge Patrick Dugan, called Philadelphia's downward trend in homicides a testament to criminal justice methods that have targeted root causes in society.
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"When you meet people's basic needs, when you let young people see a future, it gets safer," Krasner said.
Krasner, 64, was part of a wave of progressive city prosecutors who won elections in the United States during President Donald Trump's first term. On Tuesday, Krasner promised to be a "democracy advocate" for Philadelphia in addition to his duties as a prosecutor. He said the Trump administration's dismantling of federal agencies will require more of local governments to protect civil rights and maintain justice.
"There is a moral line here. The people on the wrong side of this moral line will get the reputation they deserve, and it will be a profile in cowardice. It will not be a profile in courage," Krasner said. "These are people who are fundamentally un-American and anti-American."
New Democratic challenger awaits Krasner
Krasner was a political outsider in 2017 when he beat a field of six candidates in that year's Democratic primary, the biggest hurdle to clear in a city where Democratic voters heavily outnumber Republicans. He went on to win nearly 75% of the vote in the general election.
In 2021, Krasner comfortably won another primary challenge from former city prosecutor Carlos Vega, whose campaign had targeted Philadelphia's rising homicide rates and number of shootings under Krasner during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the general election, Krasner easily defeated Republican criminal defense attorney Chuck Peruto.
During his eight years in office, Krasner has been a frequent target of Republican foes in Pennsylvania. Former U.S. Attorney William McSwain, a Trump appointee, blamed Krasner for a "culture of lawlessness" in Philadelphia and claimed the D.A. routinely mishandled cases, allowing violent offenders to remain on the streets. Krasner also was the subject of a failed impeachment effort by House Republicans in Harrisburg who had accused him of misconduct in office.
Krasner was joined Tuesday by a group of Democrats that included state Sens. Anthony Hardy Williams and Nikil Saval. Philadelphia City Council President Kenyatta Johnson and four other council members also appeared with Krasner at the campaign event. The Democratic Party in Philadelphia is not expected to endorse a candidate in the primary, instead keeping it open as they did in each of the last two district attorney elections.
Dugan, a U.S. Army veteran and longtime Philadelphia Municipal Court judge, resigned from the bench in December and began his campaign for district attorney last month. He has won the support of the Philadelphia Building Trades & Construction Council and raised more money than Krasner did last year. Dugan ran unsuccessfully for Pennsylvania Superior Court in 2023 in a Democratic primary race against Jill Beck and Tamika Lane, both of whom defeated their Republican opponents in the general election that year.
Dugan, 64, is campaigning for district attorney as a pragmatic candidate who would make the safety and security of Philadelphia businesses a top priority.
"Larry is correct that murders are down right now for the year," Dugan said in a statement on Tuesday. "But what he's not saying is total violent crime is up over 50%, aggravated assaults are up 67%, robberies with a gun are up 42%, robberies without a gun are up 59% and auto thefts are up 35%. People have not felt safe across our city for a very long time."
Dugan has been critical of Krasner's former policy that treated retail thefts less than $500 as lower-level offenses. Krasner altered the policy as theft cases spiked last year, but Dugan said the damage had already impacted the city's business community.
When Dugan started his campaign in January, he noted, "Wawas are closing. They're closing in Center City. We can have all the politically correct reasons for why it's happening and all that. But the reality of it is it's because they (Krasner's office) couldn't control the retail theft."
Other violent crimes on rise this year
At Tuesday's campaign event, Krasner said Philadelphia has outperformed other cities. Nationally, in 2022, homicides dropped 8% in major cities compared to 11% in Philadelphia, he said. The next year, homicides declined by 13% nationally and 20% in Philadelphia. And last year, homicides fell by 22% nationwide compared to 35% here, Krasner said. The city peaked at 562 homicides in 2021, compared to 269 in 2024. The year before Krasner took office, the city reported 315 homicides.
For 2025, Philadelphia police statistics show the rates of other violent crimes and property crimes are higher compared to the same period a year ago. Through the first three weeks of February, violent crimes are up about 50% and property crimes are up nearly 43% versus this time last year.
"What we need to do here is to take this city from being chronically violent to consistently safe," Krasner said Tuesday.
The primary election takes place May 20.