Larry Krasner, Anti-Trump Attorney, Wins Race For Philadelphia DA
Larry Krasner has spent three decades as an outsider, representing activists from the anti-AIDS and Black Lives Matter movements as a criminal defense lawyer.
He’s now poised to become the ultimate insider after winning a Democratic primary to be Philadelphia’s next district attorney.
“I always did this because I think trials should always be fair, and innocent people should not be convicted, and individuals’ civil rights should be preserved,” Krasner, the son of a Jewish father and evangelical minister mother, told the Intercept. “I don’t see a big distinction between doing that as a prosecutor and doing it as a defense attorney.”
Krasner claimed victory after besting his nearest competitor by 18%. In the overwhelmingly Democratic city, he is now almost assured of election.
He’s promised in his campaign to fight mass incarceration by working to end policies like stop-and-frisk searches, unaffordable bail and asset forfeiture. He’s also promised not to cooperate with the federal government under President Trump, which has stressed a return to “law and order” and sought to target undocumented immigrants.
Contact Daniel J. Solomon at solomon@forward.com or on Twitter @DanielJSolomon
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.