DA Larry Krasner has the support of some of Philly’s top Black Democrats, despite the snub from his party

Moments before District Attorney Larry Krasner announced his run for a third term in office, the stage inside a Center City TV studio was filled with his political allies, most of them fellow progressives. Then a murmur rippled through the room. Cameras flashed.

“They brought the big dogs out!” someone yelled from the crowd. City Council President Kenyatta Johnson had just walked in. “I’m with Larry,” he said, grinning as he took the stage.

Johnson didn’t say much more — and he didn’t need to. The significance was clear to those in the room: Here was the city’s top legislator — an influential Council member who does not hail from the leftist wing of the party — making it known early in the campaign that Krasner’s support goes beyond progressives, despite being snubbed by other leaders in the city’s Democratic establishment.

The Council president is among a handful of the city’s top Black political leaders who are, more than two months before the May 20 primary election, publicly championing Krasner, some for the third time. The backing from leaders of a key voting bloc shows the city’s controversial top prosecutor may have staying power as he faces a serious primary challenge from the more moderate former judge Patrick Dugan.

The support comes at a critical juncture. After the Philadelphia Democratic Party declined to endorse a candidate in the race, Krasner and Dugan have been left to crisscross the city, campaigning for the support of dozens of Democratic leaders in Philly’s 66 wards. Without an official party endorsement, it is up to wards and their leaders to decide whether to support a candidate and promote them to voters on election day.

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In addition to Johnson, Krasner has won endorsements from other influential Black leaders in the city, including State Sen. Sharif Street, the son of a former mayor from North Philadelphia who is chair of the Pennsylvania Democrats; longtime State Sen. Anthony Hardy Williams of West Philadelphia; and Jannie Blackwell, the former West Philly Council member who chairs the United Ward Leaders of Color group.

The district attorney also has the support of U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans, who hails from the vaunted Northwest Coalition, a prominent political family founded to elevate Black electoral power that is known to drive turnout in voter-rich neighborhoods. The coalition backed Krasner before, including in 2017, when he was a civil rights attorney and criminal justice reformer trying to become the city’s top prosecutor for the first time.

Evans said in a statement that he’s supporting Krasner again “because of his commitment to addressing gun violence while addressing the mass incarceration that damages Philadelphia communities.”

Several ward leaders in Northwest Philadelphia have said they are supporting Krasner again, according to his campaign — but not among them is perhaps their most well-known member: Mayor Cherelle L. Parker.

Parker, head of the 50th Ward and a former Council member who in the past backed Krasner alongside other members of the Northwest Coalition, has not said if she will endorse a candidate in this year’s race for district attorney. Her preference may become clearer closer to election day.

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Sharon Vaughn, a longtime North Philadelphia ward leader and a former City Council member, is supporting Krasner, citing his philosophies on issues she said disproportionately affect the Black community, such as mass incarceration.

Vaughn said she expects ward leaders like her who supported Krasner in the past to do so again, saying he maintained close relationships with them. But Krasner has never won the backing of the city’s Democratic Party as a whole, and he has characterized some of its officials as out of touch.

Some ward leaders won’t back Krasner, Vaughn said, “because he didn’t, quote unquote, call them back when they called him for services.”

“But if I ran across this city and didn’t get the party to support me twice, why would I return your telephone calls?” Vaughn said. “He’s that kind of guy. That’s the way our system is set up. We support politicians, and we expect access. I’ve supported him each time, so when I call, he responds.”

It’s significant that Krasner has maintained support beyond progressives, partly because “every year a person is in office, their political support diminishes because you get people mad or get people disappointed,” said Larry Ceisler, a Philadelphia-based public affairs executive.

Ceisler said well-known elected officials and ward leaders could help Krasner drive voter turnout in majority-Black neighborhoods, which could prove decisive in an off-year election when interest is typically far lower than in presidential or midterm election years. Dugan also has a turnout operation — he is being backed by a handful of deep-pocketed labor unions known to activate their thousands of members.

In a statement announcing Street’s endorsement Friday, Krasner seemed to acknowledge other Democrats’ key role in boosting turnout.

“Senator Street’s support will help us power a mass movement,” he said, “as we bring together people from diverse backgrounds to push forward fundamental reforms that make our criminal justice system fairer and more effective.”