A half-dozen people are thinking about running against Larry Krasner for Philly DA, including a judge

At least a half-dozen Philadelphia political figures are considering waging a primary challenge against District Attorney Larry Krasner next year, including a former president judge of the city’s Municipal Court system.

The Democratic primary is still eight months away, and contenders considering it now could wait to announce their campaigns or may forgo a run entirely.

But the early interest in the district attorney’s race from a handful of Democrats — including two former City Council members and a state representative — underscores the degree to which Krasner, a national leader of the progressive prosecutor movement, is a uniquely polarizing figure. Sources told The Inquirer in April that Krasner intends to seek a third term, and the prospect has his detractors casting about for challengers.

Some Democrats are rallying behind Municipal Court Judge Patrick F. Dugan, who last year unsuccessfully ran for Superior Court. Dugan has talked with power brokers about a potential run and may enter the race after the presidential election this fall, according to sources with knowledge of his thinking.

Sitting judges are barred from publicly engaging in politics, meaning that Dugan would need to resign as soon as he formally announced his campaign. The judge did not return a request for comment.

» READ MORE: Philly DA Larry Krasner is running for a third term, sources say

Other names have also been floated, including former City Councilmember Derek Green, State Rep. Jared Solomon, and attorney Keir Bradford-Grey, the former head of the public defenders. Former prosecutor Carlos Vega, who unsuccessfully challenged Krasner four years ago, has said he may run again, and failed Republican mayoral candidate David Oh said he’s “open” to it.

Krasner would not confirm his intention to seek reelection, saying in an interview that he will make an announcement one way or another “closer to the new year.” Of his potential challengers, Krasner said: “The district attorney’s job is incredibly important, and I can certainly understand why people would want the job I currently have.”

Dugan, 64, appears to be already garnering support. A business manager for a local union, who spoke on condition of anonymity as to not jeopardize the judge’s ethical standing, said he offered to help Dugan pick up endorsements within the politically influential building trades unions.

“He’s as serious as a heart attack,” the union official said of Dugan’s intention to run. “If he makes his move, I’m 100% behind him, and I know a lot of other people would be, too.”

A series of campaign-styled domain names — including judgeduganforda.com and duganforphillyda.com — have been registered online. Union leaders and political consultants are already circulating talking points about his credentials: Bronze Star-decorated military service, deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq, and 17 years on the bench in Municipal Court, where he recently served a four-year term as president judge.

Those talking points also suggest that Dugan could make dysfunction in Krasner’s office a key issue in his potential campaign, casting the judge as a stronger advocate for crime victims.

A Northeast Philadelphia resident, Dugan holds close relationships with Democratic leaders from Northeast Philadelphia and formerly worked as a staff attorney under ex-Councilmember Rick Mariano. Both have long been associated with Local 98 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, one of the most politically powerful unions in the state.

When — and whether — Dugan resigns and publicly commits to the race remains unclear. Candidates in competitive municipal primaries tend to launch campaigns well before the end of the year, as it gives them extra time to fundraise. The city enforces strict annual limits on political contributions.

The judge would be the first serious contender to launch a bid against Krasner, who took office in 2018 during a reformist wave and was lauded by progressives for his approach to criminal justice. Krasner has fought to reduce mass incarceration and supervision, decriminalize some low-level offenses, and overturn wrongful convictions.

But his tenure has been beset by near-constant criticism.

» READ MORE: DA Larry Krasner files suit to quash state’s special SEPTA prosecutor as unconstitutional

Republicans in the State House tried to impeach him last year. Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro stripped his prosecutorial jurisdiction over crime on SEPTA in May. And his critics are as vocal as ever, saying he targets police officers for prosecution, fails to adequately support crime victims, and oversees an office with a low conviction rate on gun cases.

Democratic voters rejected the anti-Krasner frenzy in 2021, reelecting him by an overwhelming margin over Vega, a former homicide prosecutor who ran on a tough-on-crime platform. Vega — who had been fired by Krasner and unsuccessfully sued him for discrimination — said Wednesday that he would run again if no other viable candidate emerged.

“The only thing that would prevent me from putting my hat in the ring is if I saw there was a better candidate — who had a definite chance of winning,” he said. “Then I would put on my supporter hat.”

Some of Krasner’s other critics have reasoned that a woman of color with trial experience would be best positioned to unseat him next year, pointing to Bradford-Grey.

She has also been rumored as a possible challenger, after finishing fourth in the crowded statewide primary for attorney general in April. She declined to comment Wednesday.

Several other contenders are still weighing whether to jump in the race, including Green, who unsuccessfully ran for mayor last year and confirmed in April that he’s thinking about a bid for district attorney. He declined to comment further.

Sources said Solomon, who represents parts of Northeast Philadelphia and ran unsuccessfully for state attorney general, has also expressed interest in the race. Solomon has been a vocal critic of Krasner, whom he has described as “woefully inadequate.”

Solomon said this week that he is “focused on pushing forward with Gov. Shapiro’s agenda in the House and expanding the Democratic majority.”

Oh, another former Council member who ran a long-shot mayoral campaign as a Republican in deep-blue Philadelphia last year, said he has also been approached about running in the Democratic primary. Once a practicing attorney, Oh worked as an assistant district attorney for three years before he entered politics.

He said another Oh campaign is far from certain.

“I’m very open, as in open to anything, and people have thrown different things at me,” Oh said. “But there’s no real intention there. It’s easy for people to say ‘run for something,’ but the whole process is very involved.”

Staff writers Samantha Melamed and Ellie Rushing contributed to this article.