The endorsements in the race for Philadelphia district attorney set up a battle within the city Democratic party, pitting the progressive wing versus the liberal establishment. At the same time, the election is shaping up to be one of the first tests nationally for a criminal justice reform movement that began about four years ago.
Incumbent Larry Krasner and other similar-minded district attorneys around the country were elected then by voters who sought a change from the mass incarceration style of law enforcement. His list of endorsements includes many of the progressives who remain in support of his broad reform agenda.
But an outbreak of historically high gun violence in Philadelphia has hindered Krasner's message and fueled former prosecutor Carlos Vega's challenge. Shootings and homicides are at an all-time high, but so is gun violence nationally, according to law enforcement data. Many criminal justice experts say the COVID-19 pandemic deserves much of the blame for the spike since the beginning of 2020.
Vega's supporters see it differently.
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"If we don't act (on gun violence), it will destroy the city. It is beginning to take away its heart and its spirit, and we must do something to turn it around," former Gov. Ed Rendell said Tuesday in announcing his endorsement of Vega, one week before the primary.
Here is a full list of the endorsements for each candidate through May 11.
EDITOR'S NOTE: To read NBC10's profile on candidate Carlos Vega, CLICK HERE. To read NBC10's profile on candidate Larry Krasner, CLICK HERE.
Philly DA Larry Krasner's Endorsements
These include elected officials, city political wards (as voted on by local leaders), political action committees and private citizens who have been exonerated during Krasner's first term.
- State Rep. Morgan Cephas
- State Rep. Izzy Fitzgerald
- State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta
- State Rep. Rick Krajewski
- State Rep. and House Democratic Leader Joanna McClinton
- State Rep. Chris Rabb
- State Sen. Vincent Hughes
- State Sen. Nikil Savaal
- State Sen. Sharif Street
- State Sen. Anthony Williams
- State Sen. Art Haywood
- Councilmember Kendra Brooks
- Councilmember Jamie Gauthier
- Councilmember Helen Gym
- Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson
- Councilmember Curtis Jones
- Councilmember Cherelle Parker
- Councilmember Katherine Gilmore Richardson
- Councilmember Maria Quiñones-Sánchez
- Councilmember Isaiah Thomas
- 1st Ward
- 2nd Ward
- 3rd Ward
- 4th Ward
- 5th Ward
- 6th Ward
- 8th Ward
- 9th Ward
- 10th Ward
- 11th Ward
- 12th Ward
- 14th Ward
- 16th Ward
- 17th Ward
- 18th Ward
- 20th Ward
- 22nd Ward
- 24th Ward
- 27th Ward
- 28th Ward
- 29th Ward
- 32nd Ward
- 33rd Ward
- 37th Ward
- 42nd Ward
- 47th Ward
- 50th Ward
- 51st Ward
- 52nd Ward
- 59th Ward
- 61st Ward
- AFL-CIO
- 1199C
- AFT 2026
- Laborers Local 332
- AFSCME DC 33
- DC 47
- SEIU HealthcarePA
- UNITE HERE Local 274
- UNITE HERE LOCAL 634
- Transit Workers Union
- Philadelphia Federation of Teachers
- RECLAIM
- Neighborhood Networks
- PA Working Families Party
- Penn Dems (U of Penn Student Group)
- Penn Justice Democrats
- Our Revolution
- Faculty and Staff of the Community College of Philadelphia
- Black Clergy
- Make the Road PA
- 215 People’s Alliance
- Free the Ballot
- Liberty City
- Guardian Civic League
- Real Justice PAC
- Color of Change
- Millennials in Action
- U.S Senator Elizabeth Warren
- U.S Senator Bernie Sanders
- Civil Rights Lawyer Michael Coard
- Super Bowl Winner and Pro Bowler Malcolm Jenkins
- Exonerees Tony Wright, Jimmy Dennis, Chester Hollman, Terrance Lewis, and Christopher Williams
Democratic Challenger Carlos Vega's Endorsements
These include elected officials, labor unions and the city's firefighters and police unions.
- Former Gov. Ed Rendell
- State Sen. Christine Tartaglione
- State Rep. Mike Driscoll
- State Rep. Angel Cruz
- State Rep. Kevin Boyle
- Sheet Metal Workers Local 19
- Cement Masons and Plasterers Local 592
- Painters DC 21
- Bricklayers Local 1
- Sprinkler Fitters Local 692
- Fire Fighters and Paramedics Local 22
- Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5
- 7th Ward
- 19th Ward
- 23rd Ward
- 26th Ward
- 41st Ward
- 43rd Ward
- 45th Ward
- 54th Ward
- 55th Ward
- 57th Ward
- 58th Ward
- 62nd Ward
- 63rd Ward
- 64th Ward
- 66th Ward
Notably, Krasner was not endorsed by Philadelphia's Democratic City Committee, making him the first incumbent in recent memory with that distinction.
Less notably, some supporters of the candidates are making as yet unsubstantiated claims:
HOW TO VOTE IN MAY 18 PRIMARY: Registered Democrats in Philadelphia will be able to cast votes in the race between Vega and Krasner. The deadline to register to vote or to change your party designation was May 3. Voters can vote by mail or in person. Mail-in applications are due by 11:59 p.m. on May 11. CLICK HERE to apply.
