Races for Philly district attorney and Pittsburgh mayor take center stage in Pennsylvania’s primary

By MARC LEVY Associated Press HARRISBURG Pa AP Voters on Tuesday will choose new candidates to run for specific of the top jobs in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh with the winners of the Democratic primaries all but assured of mastery in November in the two heavily Democratic cities In Philadelphia Larry Krasner is seeking a third term as district attorney of the nation s sixth-most populous city The longtime civil rights lawyer has at times come under heavy criticism as a prosecutor but has thus far a survived efforts to oust him that successfully removed chosen other progressive district attorneys including in San Francisco Los Angeles and Oakland Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey the city s first Black mayor is seeking a second term Both are Democrats who originally ran as progressives and face a primary challenger To particular extent President Donald Trump looms over the races as Krasner and Gainey have vowed to resist his conservative agenda Republicans will also get to weigh in Tuesday on the Pittsburgh mayor s race though their party isn t fielding a candidate in the Philadelphia district attorney s contest There are also two statewide courts contests on Tuesday s ballots Here s what to know about the contests Philadelphia district attorney Krasner is running again after withstanding an impeachment attempt by Republican state lawmakers and years of being a campaign trail punching bag for Trump Krasner has the benefit of crime rates falling in big US cities including Philadelphia after they rose sharply during the COVID- pandemic Related Articles Trump alleges genocide in South Africa At an agricultural fair even Afrikaner farmers scoff While Trump overhauls FEMA Mississippi tornado survivors await assistance Thomas Friedman My first thought when I heard Joe Biden s news US sends movers back to Honduras and Colombia in first voluntary deportation Nebraska to ban soda and vitality drinks from SNAP under first USDA waiver Krasner s primary opponent is Pat Dugan a U S Army veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and was the head administrative judge of the Philadelphia Municipal Court before he resigned to run Dugan has aimed to make the race about Krasner s crime-fighting policies he calls Krasner Let em Go Larry and accused the incumbent of staffing the district attorneys office with ill-prepared and inexperienced lawyers Krasner originally ran in on a progressive platform that included holding police accountable and opposing the death penalty cash bail prosecuting minor nonviolent offenses and a tradition of mass-incarceration Like particular big-city Democrats Krasner has turned toward pro-public safety messaging maintaining that he is serious about pursuing violent crime and touting new technologies and strategies that his office is using to solve or prevent crime Krasner has repeatedly invoked Trump and suggested that he is the best candidate to stand up to him In a TV ad he cast himself as the foil to Trump and his billionaire buddies the shooting groups and gun lobby the old system that denied people justice for too long They can come for Philly but I m not backing down Dugan has invoked Trump too saying in a TV ad that Philadelphia faces the threats of crime injustice and a president bent on destruction He also accuses Krasner of failing to deliver real transformation or make us safe Now he wants us to believe he can take on Trump Get real Pittsburgh mayor Gainey and Allegheny County Controller Corey O Connor the son of a former Pittsburgh mayor are jousting over affordable housing approach homelessness population safety and revitalizing downtown in a city that is trying to grow after recovering from the devasting collapse of its steel industry Gainey who is the city s first Black mayor and who grew up in subsidized housing has portrayed himself as the mayor who sides with regular people and as a mayor that s going to fight for you when the Trump administration threatens the city He also touted the city s strong commercial sector under his watch Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey attends a May Day rally in Pittsburgh Thursday May AP Photo Gene J Puskar O Connor won the local party s endorsement over Gainey He criticized Gainey s management of the city saying Gainey was reckless with city finances lacked vision to bring businesses back to downtown and fell badly short in expanding affordable housing He also revealed people didn t feel safe in Pittsburgh On the Republican ballot are Thomas West and Tony Moreno Pittsburgh has not elected a Republican as mayor in nearly a century Courts Two statewide court seats are opening up one on the Commonwealth Court and one on the Superior Court Democrats don t have a primary in either contest with Washington County Judge Brandon Neuman running uncontested for Superior Court and Philadelphia Judge Stella Tsai running uncontested for Commonwealth Court On the Republican ticket the Superior Court contest features Clarion County lawyer Maria Battista and Chester County Judge Ann Marie Wheatcraft The Commonwealth Court contest features Matt Wolford of Erie County a former state and federal prosecutor and Josh Prince of Berks County a prominent gun rights lawyer The -member Superior Court hears appeals of civil and criminal cases from county courts The nine-seat Commonwealth Court hears challenges or appeals from county courts in cases involving laws or regime actions Judges are elected to -year terms