August 12, 2025
Provided Image/Judge Dugan for DA
Pat Dugan, a former municipal court judge and lifelong Democrat, has accepted the GOP nomination to run against District Attorney Larry Krasner in November's general election.
Former Municipal Court Judge Pat Dugan, who's a lifelong Democrat, announced he will accept the Republican nomination to run against Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner in the general election.
In May, Dugan lost to Krasner in the Democratic primary, but he garnered more than 6,000 write-in votes in the GOP primary, which had no candidates. He needed only 1,000 write-in votes to qualify to run in November, and on Monday he filed the official paperwork with the city’s Board of Elections to set up the rematch.
"If elected, I will be a District Attorney for all of Philadelphia — Democrats, Republicans and Independents alike," Dugan said in a statement Saturday. "I'm running for every Philadelphian who wants real safety, real justice and real accountability regardless of political belief or personal background."
Before the primary election, Dugan said he would not embrace Republican voters mounting a GOP challenge. Krasner won the Democratic primary with 64% of the votes — a difference of 97,636 to 53,849.
After picking up enough write-in votes in the GOP primary, Dugan had until Monday to either withdraw his name from the ballot or refile his candidacy under the Republican Party, according to the Pennsylvania Department of State.
According to Dugan's statement over the weekend, a "close examination" of Krasner's record ignited his hope that moderate Democrats, independents and Republicans will join together to support him as the "independent, prosecutorial-minded candidate."
"Larry Krasner's policies have brought chaos to our city with rampant lawlessness, open-air drug trafficking and skyrocketing violence," Dugan said. "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."
Representatives with both campaigns didn't immediately responded to a request for comment.
