The Northeast Democratic Club, made up of ward leaders, is hoping to see a big local turnout in Tuesday’s Democratic primary for district attorney.
Of the 14 wards in the Northeast, 13 are supporting challenger Pat Dugan over incumbent DA Larry Krasner. One ward, the 35th, is neutral.
Dugan grew up in Frankford, attending St. Joachim Grammar School. Now a Far Northeast resident, he’s a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and formerly served as president judge of Municipal Court.
Four years ago, primary challenger Carlos Vega – a longtime homicide prosecutor fired by Krasner when he took office in 2018 – won 10 of the 14 Northeast wards, but turnout was low.
Citywide, Krasner won 50 of the 66 wards en route to capturing 67 percent of the vote.
The Northeast Democratic Club expects Dugan to do very well in his back yard, but ward leaders want to see more voters cast ballots than four years ago.
The way the ward leaders see it, Dugan is the obvious choice.
Jim Donnelly, leader of the 58th Ward, where Vega took 77 percent of the vote, said, “Larry Krasner has been a complete disaster for public safety in Philadelphia. His soft-on-crime policies have emboldened criminals and left law-abiding citizens to fend for themselves. In Northeast Philly, we believe in safe streets, accountability and consequences — none of which we’ve gotten from this DA. The Northeast is fed up, and we’re doing everything we can to make a change and support Judge Pat Dugan, who actually understands what it takes to keep our neighborhoods safe.”
Vega did best in the 66th Ward, with 82 percent. Dugan lives in the 66th and will need to pile up a big margin there.
John Del Ricci, leader of Ward 66-B, said, “The Northeast Democratic Club has never supported Larry Krasner — and for good reason. He’s never stood with the working families of Northeast Philly. While we’ve been fighting for safe neighborhoods and real justice, he’s been busy pushing an agenda that ignores victims and coddles criminals. We’re done with it. This community deserves a DA who has our back, and that’s not Larry Krasner. It’s time for a change, and we’re all in for Judge Pat Dugan.”
Brian Eddis is leader of the 63rd Ward, which went for Vega with 76 percent of the vote. Eddis is also a business representative for the Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades, which has spent a lot of money backing Dugan.
Eddis said, “I’ve lived in Northeast Philly my whole life, and I’ve been a ward leader since Larry Krasner took office — and not once has he reached out to talk about crime in our neighborhoods. He’s never attended a single Northeast Democratic Club event, never engaged with our community and never shown the slightest interest in what we’re dealing with. That tells me everything I need to know about his priorities — and it’s clear Northeast Philly isn’t one of them.”
In response to the above comments, Krasner’s campaign spokesman, Anthony Campisi said in a statement, “We’re proud of Larry’s record keeping Philadelphians safe. The homicide rate today is the lowest it’s been in more than 50 years because Larry has worked closely with law enforcement partners like the Police Department to deploy modern crime fighting methods and technology to successfully prosecute the most dangerous criminals who terrorize our communities. We’re proud of our record bringing justice to every neighborhood of Philadelphia, including the Northeast, and work closely with victims and victim support organizations to ensure that victims and their families’ voices are represented in the process. And we’re also proud of the endorsements we have received from wards across Philadelphia.”
Polls will be open Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Republicans did not file a candidate for DA, but are waging a write-in campaign for Dugan. The GOP needs 1,000 write-ins for Dugan to have a candidate in the general election.
Dugan’s campaign told the Inquirer he would not accept the Republican nomination if he loses the Democratic primary.
Assuming Republicans get 1,000 write-ins, they’ll be able to select another candidate to face Krasner, if he wins the primary. Dugan’s name could appear on the fall ballot twice if he wins the primary and the write-in effort is successful. ••
