2025 Pa. primary results: Philly DA Larry Krasner wins; Abington school referendum passes; latest updates on suburban races
Patrick Dugan, a former Municipal Court judge, ran against Krasner in the Democratic primary and was the subject of a last-minute GOP write-in candidate.
Incumbent Larry Krasner defeated Patrick Dugan in the Democratic primary for district attorney, setting up a path to a third term.
Republicans choose their nominees for Commonwealth Court and for Superior Court. Democratic primaries were uncontested in both races.
Philadelphia voters approved three ballot measures on homelessness, affordable housing, and regulating the prison system.
Pittsburgh's mayor was ousted in the Democratic primary.
Workers at many polling places noted turnout was low, but no major issues were reported.
Abington voters said yes to a $285 million middle school
Abington School District voters on Tuesday cleared the way for the district to build a new $285 million middle school, approving a ballot question authorizing borrowing the money.
The referendum, which passed with 8,941 votes in favor compared to 8,556 against, is believed to be the largest approved in Pennsylvania.
The project will eventually cost the average taxpayer $54 a month, according to the district.
Voter turnout in Philadelphia's DA race might not even crack 20%
Voter turnout in the city was pretty dismal Tuesday.
With 99% of divisions reporting and some ballots left to count, 14.6% of registered voters turned out to vote in the city Tuesday. That’s down significantly from the 25% who turned out in 2021, the last time a district attorney’s race was the marquee city contest.
Turnout is never expected to be high immediately following a presidential election and district attorney races don’t tend to draw droves of voters but the low turnout number is alarming for Democrats who are hoping to reset after a dip in support in the city contributed to statewide fall losses.
Dugan flipped three Philly wards from Krasner
While he came short in his race to unseat Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, Patrick Dugan managed to flip at least three wards Tuesday night.
With 98% of divisions reporting, three wards flipped from Krasner in 2021 to Dugan in 2025: the 23rd in Frankford, and the 53rd and 54th, in Oxford Circle.
As of now, Krasner has a clear path to serving another four years, since no Republican has filed to run for the city's top prosecutor spot.
Lower Merion school board incumbents and their running mates win Democratic primary
A slate led by Lower Merion’s school board president and another incumbent prevailed in the Democratic primary Tuesday, after a contentious race that featured debate over antisemitism in the district and federal threats to public schools.
The four members of the Elect LMSD slate — school board president Kerry Sautner, member Anna Shurak, and newcomers Juanita Kerber and Jennifer Rivera — were the top vote-getters among a nine-member field, each garnering between 7,800 and 8,400 votes.
“The community showed us today that we’ve earned their support, and we’re proud they’ve trusted us to advocate for our kids and our future,” Elect LMSD said in a statement early Wednesday morning. “This is just one chapter in an ongoing conversation with our neighbors, colleagues and friends about the values and priorities that matter most as prepare for the next vote in November.”
Philly voters approve 3 ballot measures
Philadelphia voters have approved three ballot questions, advancing what are City Council’s aims to combat homelessness, boost spending on affordable housing, and better regulate the prison system.
With Question 1 approved, Philadelphia will create an Office of Homeless Services Ombudsperson — an independent inspector for the city’s homelessness program who will also serve as a public advocate for homeless people and their families. The ombudsperson’s efforts could lead to more thorough investigations of complaints at homeless shelters, for example, or streamlined spending on homelessness programs.
With Question 2 approved, Philadelphia will be required to spend more money on affordable housing. When developers build in Philadelphia, they can choose not to build zoning-mandated affordable housing units if they instead make payments to the city that are supposed to go toward the Housing Trust Fund. But the sum of those payments routes through the general fund, and mayoral administrations don’t always spend it on housing — now, they’ll have to increase spending specifically for housing.
With Question 3 approved, Philadelphia will create two new organizations to oversee the city’s prison system — an independent Philadelphia Prison Community Oversight Board and the Office of Prison Oversight. Complaints of short staffing and poor cell conditions have rocked the city’s jail system in recent years. Now, the new board will meet regularly to make recommendations for improving those problems, while the new oversight office will boost transparency by monitoring facilities and meeting with incarcerated individuals.
After loss to Larry Krasner, will Patrick Dugan run as a Republican?
Philadelphia Republican Party chair Vince Fenerty on Tuesday night said it appears that a last-minute write-in campaign by the city GOP has succeeded in electing Democrat Patrick Dugan as the Republican nominee for district attorney.
Dugan lost to incumbent District Attorney Larry Krasner in the Democratic primary on Tuesday. But after no Republican filed to run for the race, the GOP organized to give Dugan another bite at the apple in the November general election by nominating him as a Republican.
It will take days for election workers to read the names of the write-in votes and determine whether Dugan won the GOP nomination. But Fenerty said early results indicate the party pulled it off.
Just a few races still outstanding
While all the major races were called Tuesday night, there are a couple contests yet to be decided.
They are:
Philadelphia common pleas and municipal courts
Downingtown is one step closer to electing Pennsylvania’s first openly transgender mayor
Erica Deuso is one step closer to becoming the first openly transgender person elected mayor in Pennsylvania.
The longtime local Democratic advocate who works in management at a pharmaceutical company won the Democratic nomination for Downingtown mayor Tuesday, earning 62% of the vote and defeating the borough’s former main street manager Barry Cassidy who earned 38% of the vote in the race in which 814 ballots were cast.
She’ll face Republican Richard Bryant, a retired cybersecurity expert, in November. Bryant plans to campaign on development, flooding and cybersecurity issues.
On a ‘slow’ Pennsylvania primary day, civic duty and national issues were top of mind for Philly voters
Despite the persnickety debate exchanges, interest from donors outside Pennsylvania, and influence from powerful groups like the Philadelphia building trades, the heated contest between two-term District Attorney Larry Krasner and Democratic challenger Patrick Dugan was not enough to summon voters in this off-year primary election.
Committeepeople across the city talked Phillies and the clear, sunny skies to pass the time, armed with stacks of sample ballots as they waited for voters to trickle in. Inside Tomaszewski Funeral Home in Port Richmond, election workers joked about being “bored to death.”
Omar Sabir, chair of the city commissioners, said turnout as of midday appeared to be on track to be lower than in 2021.
Philly DA Larry Krasner defeats primary challenger Patrick Dugan, positioning him for a third term
Over the last eight years, Philadelphians have seen the rate of shootings and homicides soar to unthinkable heights, they’ve seen the violence decrease at a dizzying pace, and through it all, the city’s Democratic voters have stood by District Attorney Larry Krasner.
Krasner, a leader of the national progressive prosecutor movement, is poised to win a third term after prevailing over a well-funded challenge from former Municipal Court Judge Patrick F. Dugan in Tuesday’s Democratic primary, according to an Associated Press projection. With a majority of precincts reporting late Tuesday night, Krasner held a commanding lead of about 20 percentage points.
No Republican has filed to run, likely clearing the path for Krasner to secure a new four-year term in November. (The Philadelphia GOP on Tuesday encouraged its voters to write in Dugan for district attorney in an effort to let the Democratic runner-up run as the Republican nominee in the general election, but Dugan’s campaign has said he would decline such an opportunity.)