Lawrence Krasner

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Lawrence Krasner

Democratic Party

Philadelphia District Attorney

Tenure

2018 - Present

Term ends

2021

Years in position

3

Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 7, 2017

Education

Law

Stanford University Law School

Personal

Profession

Attorney

Contact

Personal website

Lawrence Krasner is the Democratic Philadelphia district attorney in Pennsylvania. Krasner won a first term in the general election on November 7, 2017.

Krasner responded to Ballotpedia's survey of district attorney candidates in Philadelphia. Click here to read his survey responses.

Biography

Krasner earned his J.D. from Stanford University Law School. He practices law with Krasner & Long, LLC. Krasner previously worked as a public defender for six years.

Elections

2017

See also: Municipal elections in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (2017)

Lawrence Krasner (D) defeated Beth Grossman (R) in the general election for Philadelphia district attorney.

Philadelphia District Attorney, General Election, 2017
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Lawrence Krasner	74.70%	150,330
	Republican	Beth Grossman	25.27%	50,858
		Write-in votes	0.03%	58
Total Votes				201,246
Source: Office of the Philadelphia City Commissioners, "Election Results," accessed November 7, 2017

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary election for Philadelphia district attorney.

Philadelphia District Attorney, Democratic Primary Election, 2017
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Lawrence Krasner	38.24%	59,368
Joe Khan	20.28%	31,480
Rich Negrin	14.20%	22,048
Tariq El-Shabazz	11.62%	18,040
Michael Untermeyer	8.19%	12,709
John O'Neill	5.96%	9,246
Teresa Carr Deni	1.50%	2,335
Write-in votes	0.01%	20
Total Votes		155,246
Source: Office of the Philadelphia City Commissioners, "Unofficial 100% Machine Results Available," accessed June 28, 2017

Campaign themes

2017

Ballotpedia survey responses

Krasner stated the following in response to Ballotpedia's candidate survey:

“	What about your legal or political experience qualifies you to be the district attorney? No other candidate has more trial experience. No other candidate has better academic credentials. Unlike all other candidates, my career has been spent pushing for criminal justice reform---being part of the solution, rather than being part of the problem. My 25 years of frequently pro bono representation of organizations and individuals who pushed for social change when it was both unpopular and important (e.g. ACT UP, Occupy, Black Lives Matter) establishes that I have walked the walk; I am not merely talking the talk during an election cycle...and contrary to my career. Identify one public figure, past or present, whom you admire. Martin Luther King. Corny, I know, but true. I have been a student of his tactics, writings, life for decades. What would be your top priority if you are elected as district attorney? My top priority will be ending mass incarceration in Philadelphia. What is the biggest challenge facing the district attorney's office in the future? The biggest challenge for the next DA and any progressive elected to office will be standing up to Trump and Sessions and their corrupt and repressive regime. What is your stance on former DA Lynne Abraham's lawsuit to remove Seth Williams from office? The candidate did not provide a response to this question. What is your stance on the city's use of state civil forfeiture laws? The candidate did not provide a response to this question. What is your stance on cash bail for nonviolent offenders? The candidate did not provide a response to this question.	”
—Lawrence Krasner (2017)

Campaign website

Krasner's campaign website stated the following:

“	Standing Up for Our Rights Larry’s career encompasses 30 years of fearlessly standing up for justice and fair treatment on behalf of clients of every stripe. His clients have included defendants arrested for free speech activity (e.g. members of all the following groups—ACT-UP, Heeding God’s Call, RNC 2000 protesters, Occupy Philly, DNC 2016 protesters, Casino-Free Philadelphia, disability rights protesters, Reclaim Philadelphia, Dream Act immigration rights activists, anti-death penalty protesters, KWRU, Black Lives Matter, Philadelphia public school activists, Earth Quaker Action Team, Grannies for Peace, etc.). As District Attorney, Larry will continue to fight for our rights by rejecting illegal use of stop and frisk, fixing our broken cash bail system, and protecting our city’s Sanctuary City status. Solving Philadelphia’s Mass Incarceration Crisis The cost of imprisoning one person for a year pays the salary of a young public school teacher, social worker, or police officer engaging in appropriate community policing. Resources could instead be invested in job training and addiction treatment. Mass incarceration simply won't heal our torn social fabric, and does not make us safer. Real justice does. As District Attorney, Larry will fight for real justice—which makes us safer. Stopping Pursuit of the Death Penalty As District Attorney, Larry Krasner will exercise his lawful discretion not to pursue death sentences. Capital punishment Is an expensive fraud that undermines public safety. Since its reinstatement by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1976 it has cost Pennsylvania taxpayers over $1 billion that could have been spent on teachers, social workers, police, and addiction and job programs that make us safe. Yet no one on this state's death row who opposed execution has been put to death since 1962; meanwhile six of those who faced execution have been exonerated. Philadelphia is the last northeastern city in which a death sentence is possible. A modern D.A. will not seek a death sentence. Treating Drug Addiction as a Disease, Not a Crime Last year Philadelphia had three times as many overdose deaths as deaths by homicide. Drug addiction tears lives and families apart. Punishing addicts does not make us safer because our criminal justice system is not equipped to treat addiction. Acknowledging that addiction is a public health issue—and acting accordingly—supports addicts’ recoveries and rebuilds their communities. Uniting Police and Communities Ineffective, divisive police measures fail to make us safe. They also divide police and the neighborhoods they protect, increasing unnecessary conflict. While the DA’s office cannot abolish these practices, Larry Krasner will work with the police department to reform divisive law enforcement tactics while holding suspects and police officers equally accountable as required by law. Larry will push for more proactive, intelligence-based policing that focuses on the 6% of criminals who commit 60% of our city’s serious crimes. Victims of crime, their families, communities and suspects deserve transparency and fairness in determining the truth.	”
—Lawrence Krasner (2017)

Endorsements

2017

Krasner's campaign received the following endorsements:

• Democracy for America
• Our Revolution
• Color of Change PAC
• The BLOC Party

See also

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	Pennsylvania	Municipal government	Other local coverage

External links

Suggest a link

• Philadelphia District Attorney
• 2017 campaign website

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Kelley Hodge	Philadelphia District Attorney 2018 - Present	Succeeded by NA