Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner in the second public debate of the race, continued to nt his paint Democratic challenger as a clandestine conservative — tying former judge Patrick Dugan to local Republicans and the former head of the city’s police union, and at one point, nearly calling him a racist. Dugan, in turn, called Krasner a liar and a bully who quickly resorts to name-calling anytime someone disagrees with him, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer. Krasner, he said, is soft on crime, and Philadelphians have suffered for years because of it.
The arguments and unpleasantries exchanged in the first forum mirrored those traded earlier in a gloves-off start to the campaigns ahead of the May 20 primary election. Krasner, the city’s progressive top prosecutor who is seeking a third term, sought to convince the audience that Philadelphians are “safer and freer” than they were eight years ago — the number of people in jail is down, and after a record-breaking spike in shootings during Krasner’s first term, gun violence has reached near-historic lows. Dugan, who served as a Municipal Court judge for nearly two decades, focused on Krasner’s leadership, pointing to the low retention of new prosecutors during his first term, and saying any reduction in crime the city is now experiencing is thanks to the new mayor and police commissioner, not Krasner’. He worked to portray himself as a centrist who believes in second chances, but who would crack down on gun possession and retail theft cases, areas where Krasner has struggled.
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