The campaign of Democratic primary challenger Pat Dugan is criticizing District Attorney Larry Krasner for attending a political event on Saturday organized by Stephen Jones, Democratic leader of West Philadelphia’s 52nd Ward, who was recently convicted of two felony counts of sexual assault of a minor.
The Dugan campaign scoffed at a statement issued by the Krasner campaign, which said the DA did not know of Jones’ conviction because he has a common last name.
Dugan’s campaign said he was not invited to the event, which featured candidates gathering nominating petitions for the primary.
“I spent my career making tough calls — on the bench and in the military. Here’s an easy one: We don’t campaign with convicted predators. We don’t shake their hands. We don’t accept their endorsements,” said Dugan, former president judge of Municipal Court.
Dugan added, “Nearly 2,900 homicides. 10,000 shootings. A 70% case withdrawal rate at times. The lowest gun conviction rates in decades. Violent crime is up over 50%. Retail theft is up 60%. Businesses shuttered. Wawa, Rite Aid, CVS, Macy’s — all gone. Workers left to fend for themselves. These aren’t accidents. They’re consequences. And they all lead back to Larry Krasner and his policies in his office. Philadelphia deserves a DA who puts safety and integrity first. That’s why I’m running — to restore trust, enforce the law and give this city the DA it deserves.”
After news surfaced of the event, Jones resigned as ward leader. The Democratic City Committee scrambled, removing Jones’ name from its website and listing the name of the 52nd Ward leader as “vacant.”
Jones will be sentenced on May 22 – two days after the primary. ••
