How Patrick Dugan raised more money than Larry Krasner last year and what it means for the 2025 Philly DA’s race

An infusion of cash from Philadelphia’s building trades unions is fueling former Philadelphia Judge Patrick Dugan’s campaign for district attorney, and helped him to out-raise incumbent Larry Krasner last year.

According to campaign-finance reports that encompass fundraising activities through Dec. 31, Dugan raised $140,000 over just a couple weeks late last year, putting him about $40,000 ahead of Krasner’s campaign in 2024.

And though both candidates’ coffers are expected to grow as the May Democratic primary election draws nearer, the early fundraising reports, filed Friday, are a sign that Dugan’s campaign, bolstered by the deep-pocketed trades unions, could rival Krasner’s in size.

The former judge said in a statement that he out-raised Krasner and acknowledged the major role played by unions, saying he “cannot win without the support of labor.” Krasner’s campaign last year raised less than half what it did in 2020, the year before his last run for reelection, when he won the Democratic primary handily.

But Krasner said he fundraised for a shorter period of time last year than in 2020. Aside from a handful of contributions at the start of 2024, the district attorney appeared to only begin fundraising in earnest in mid-November.

“We are right on track,” he said.

The race to be the Democratic nominee for district attorney is still in its early stages, and Dugan announced his candidacy just last month. Krasner has not yet officially announced that he will seek a third term in office, though he is selling campaign merchandise online and is expected to formally declare his run in the coming weeks.

And while fundraising is an important indicator of a candidate’s ability to finance a citywide campaign, the amount of money both men have heading into this year could prove to be comparatively small if outside interests seek to influence the race through independent expenditure groups, also known as super PACs.

Billionaire George Soros, a Democratic benefactor, has in the past funded campaign advertisements for Krasner. Elon Musk, a billionaire who poured millions into Pennsylvania during the presidential campaign, has suggested his pro-Trump America PAC may target progressive prosecutors across the country, of which Krasner is one of the most prominent.

It’s not yet clear if either will get involved in the race, but any infusion of outside resources could dwarf the candidates’ own fundraising and spending. Super PACs are allowed to raise and spend unlimited amounts of money, so long as they follow rules forbidding certain coordination with campaigns.

However, the initial fundraising reports make clear that the local and politically powerful Philadelphia Building Trades & Construction Council is unified in supporting Dugan. The group, an umbrella organization of 30 unions, is headed by business manager Ryan N. Boyer and has played a critical role in major campaigns across the state, including Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s successful 2023 run.

Boyer is cochairing Dugan’s campaign alongside Wayne Miller, president of the building trades and head of the union that represents sprinkler fitters. Miller’s group gave Dugan his first reported donation over $50 last year — campaigns are not required to itemize contributions below that threshold. It was a $14,800 check, the maximum amount a PAC could contribute last year under local campaign-finance laws.

» READ MORE: The Building Trades are still pulling their weight politically

All told, 10 unions gave a collective $84,200 to Dugan’s campaign last year, accounting for about 60% of his campaign’s $141,100 total haul. That included maximum contributions from unions representing electricians, plumbers, and steamfitters.

The groups have continued to donate to Dugan. His campaign said he’s raised more than $300,000 in total since mid-December.

“My labor roots run deep,” he said.

Dugan, a former municipal court judge, has relied on support from the same groups in past campaigns. In 2023, when he unsuccessfully ran for state Superior Court, about 62% of his total fundraising dollars came from 18 different labor unions. The plumbers’ and sprinkler fitters’ unions were among his largest contributors, as were the Teamsters and the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5, which represents Philadelphia police officers.

On Monday, Dugan announced new endorsements from Teamsters and the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters. The police union has not made an endorsement in this year’s race for district attorney.

Krasner, on the other hand, raised the vast majority of his $100,445 last year from individual donors, while most of Dugan’s money came from PACs.

There was also a difference in where each campaign’s donors were from. About 62% of Krasner’s donors last year — both individuals and PACs — listed an address outside of Philadelphia. Fewer than half of Dugan’s donors in 2024 were from outside the city.

One of Krasner’s major contributors was Real Justice PAC, which donated $12,600 to his campaign in January. The San Francisco-based criminal justice reform group — cofounded by the controversial activist Shaun King — has in the past funded some of Krasner’s campaign staff and was scolded by the city’s Board of Ethics for running afoul of regulations.

At the beginning of last year, Krasner’s campaign had about $35,600 in the bank, and spent $17,900 over the course of 2024, leaving him with about $118,220 available at the start of this year.