Now that former Municipal Court President Judge Pat Dugan – billing himself as an “independent Democrat” – is on the Republican ticket challenging District Attorney Larry Krasner, Democratic Party boss Bob Brady is telling ward leaders to support the incumbent.
Dugan, of the Far Northeast, lost the Democrat primary to Krasner, 64 percent to 36 percent. Turnout was less than 17 percent. Dugan won 13 of the 14 Northeast wards, losing only the Lawncrest-based 35th Ward, where ward leader Heather Miller was neutral.
Republicans did not have a candidate on the primary ballot, but Dugan received more than 6,400 write-in votes to earn a spot on the GOP general election ballot.
“If elected, I will be a district attorney for all of Philadelphia – Democrats, Republicans and independents alike. I’m running for every Philadelphian who wants real safety, real justice and real accountability regardless of political belief or personal background,” Dugan said in an Aug. 9 statement accepting the GOP nomination. “I cannot stand by and allow Mr. Krasner’s failed policies to continue to hold our city hostage. Every Philadelphian has a real choice this fall, and I believe they will stand with me for common sense and safety.”
Republican City Committee chairman Vince Fenerty released the following statement in response to Dugan’s decision:
“Pat Dugan has a proven record of standing up for the citizens of Philadelphia and providing fair and honest justice for nearly two decades as a Municipal Court Judge. His decision to run for District Attorney is an extension of his lifetime of service – as an Army veteran, community volunteer, and Judge – to our city.”
State Rep. Martina White and state Sen. Joe Picozzi are supporting Dugan.
White said, “Judge Dugan’s commonsense plan to help make our city safer, deliver fair justice and rebuild the community’s trust in our justice system earned the support of tens of thousands of Democrats and Republicans in the primary election. His no-nonsense, no-politics approach to public safety will resonate even more strongly in the November election.”
Picozzi said, “Firing Larry Krasner has always been a top priority for me and for Northeast Philadelphia. Pat Dugan is a proven leader who will put victims before politics, enforce the law fairly and make our streets safe again. He has my full support, and I’ll stand shoulder to shoulder with him to take back our city.”
Dugan served as a Municipal Court judge for 17 years, stepping down last year to run for DA. He is a decorated veteran and paratrooper serving in the Army and Army Reserve, retiring after 23 years as a Mustang Captain; he first enlisted in 1981 and then re-enlisted after 9-11 at the start of the Iraq War in 2003.
Dugan was raised in Frankford, graduating from St. Joachim Grammar School and St. Joseph’s Prep. Today, he and his wife, Nancy, share their blended family of six children and 13 grandchildren.
Dugan said he chose to run in November after a close examination of Krasner’s record.
“Larry Krasner’s policies have brought chaos to our city with rampant lawlessness, open-air drug trafficking and skyrocketing violence. 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 pledged to “enforce the law fairly and equally for all, whether the defendant is a police officer or an average citizen. I will restore public safety and prosecute crime. I will not tolerate abuse of power from anyone – police or prosecutor. And I will be guided by what is in the best interest of every victim, every neighborhood and every resident of our city.”
Republicans and other supporters of Dugan hope to replicate a somewhat-similar situation that happened in Allegheny County in 2023.
That year, moderate Democratic DA Stephen Zappala was challenged in the primary by a public defender named Matt Dugan (no relation to Pat Dugan). Liberal billionaire donor George Soros funded Dugan’s campaign, and he beat Zappala in the primary with 55.6 percent of the vote.
However, Republicans wrote in Zappala, and his name appeared on the GOP ticket in the general election. In a turnout much higher than in the primary, Zappala prevailed with 51.4 percent of the vote.
“Mr. Krasner will call me names like extremist and try to compare me to President Trump because he knows his record is one of failure and he cannot defend the rampant crime his policies have caused. I know that Philadelphians are smart enough to believe their eyes … and what they see is more crime, more drugs, more victims abandoned, more shootings and more criminals let loose on the streets,” Dugan said.
Brady, meanwhile, wrote in an Aug. 10 email to ward leaders, “As a Democratic ward leader, I will do everything in my power to re-elect our Democratic nominee, Larry Krasner, as Philadelphia’s District Attorney.” Brady heads the 33rd Ward.
In the email, Brady told ward leaders to support Krasner and instruct their committee people to do so as well.
Brady called Dugan’s decision to run as a Republican “disgraceful” and “a betrayal to the Democratic Party and the people of Philadelphia.” He labeled Dugan a “sore loser” and criticized him from abandoning a pledge to not run if he lost the primary, predicting he will again lose to Krasner. ••
