A former municipal judge who lost to Philadelphia's Soros-linked city prosecutor in the May Democratic primary announced over the weekend he would be registering for the Republican Party line in November's election, as President Donald Trump brings a new focus on urban crime.
Philadelphia Judge Patrick Dugan, of the city's Far Northeast, earned enough write-in votes in May's contest - where no Republican was on that party's primary ballot - to be able to run on the party line in November.
However, it wasn't until the weekend that Dugan formally announced he would take the GOP mantle in hopes of ousting Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner.
Trump, meanwhile, announced on Monday he is usurping control of the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., for the statutory 48 hours allowed under the District of Columbia Home Rule Act of 1973 due to violent crime he declared is on par with several capitals in Central America.
SOROS-BACKED PHILADELPHIA DA SURVIVES PRIMARY CHALLENGE, BUT POTENTIAL GOP WRINKLE AHEAD
Dugan said in a statement that he expects Krasner to try to tie him to Trump and call him an "extremist," but only "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 in a statement.
The former jurist also reportedly said that although he will be on the Republican line, he identifies as an "Independent-Democrat."
That wasn't enough to quell Philadelphia Democratic Party boss Bob Brady, who called Dugan a "disgrace" and appeared to kick him out of the party.
"He's got zero integrity… he's out of our party… I don't need liars in our party," the former congressman told the Philadelphia Inquirer.
SOROS-BACKED PHILLY DA COULD FACE UPHILL BATTLE FOR RE-ELECTION IF GOP WRITE-IN SCHEME SUCCEEDS
The Associated Press had called the Krasner-Dugan primary with the incumbent earning at least 60% of the vote. Dugan, however, garnered 53,000 Democratic votes and a shocking 6,400 write-ins.
Because Pennsylvania is a closed-primary state, those voters were likely - if not entirely - Republicans.
Dugan said Saturday he would be a DA for "all of Philadelphia," regardless of party affiliation.
"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."
Philly GOP chair Vince Fenerty added that the city now has a "real choice" between Dugan and Krasner, a "proven advocate for the very criminals he is supposed to prosecute."
Pennsylvania state Sen. Joe Picozzi, a fellow Northeast Philly Republican, called Dugan a "proven leader" and said "firing Larry Krasner" is a top priority for him.
Picozzi himself shocked the commonwealth when he unseated a Democrat in 2024, making him the first Republican state senator to represent America's birthplace in decades.
Krasner criticized Dugan for being a Democrat embraced by Republicans.
Since Krasner's rise, Philadelphia has battled a crime crisis, as well as the prosecutor's penchant not to prosecute marijuana possession, certain sex work offenses and other low-level crimes.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
However, during some of the looting amid the George Floyd riots, Krasner indicated there had been 550 arrests for burglary and that he would "vigorously prosecute" many of them.
"Some of them, on the other hand, are an 18-year-old who's never had contact with the criminal justice system before, not even an arrest, who's going in through a broken window and coming out with a T-shirt," he added, according to CBS News.
Violent crime as a category, however, has declined some in the past few years, with a decrease of about 17%, according to the Penn Capital-Star, to which critics have pointed to the custom of dropping charges on some crimes.
Trump previously called Krasner the "worst district attorney," and asked Philadelphians who attended a 2019 rally in Hershey to "get yourself a new prosecutor."
In a January statement after Trump took office, Krasner hit back, telling the president in a statement that "arrests and prosecutions are based on probable cause, not on whether you agree or disagree with a political position."
"Unlike the current president, who this week pardoned or commuted sentences for over 1,000 lawfully convicted and sentenced insurrectionists, my office and others will continue to uphold the U.S. Constitution and the rule of law," Krasner said.
