News & Brews May 21, 2025
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Krasner easily wins in Philly
Progressive Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner easily fended off a primary challenge from former Judge Patrick Dugan, winning more than 60% of the vote according to unofficial results. Republicans, who did not field a candidate, had urged a write-in campaign for Dugan. The Inquirer reports that write-in votes will take days to tally, but Philly GOP party chair Vince Fenerty says it appears the effort—which would require 1,000 votes to succeed—met that threshold. Dugan, however, has said he will not accept the GOP nomination.
O’Connor defeats Gainey in Pittsburgh
Democrat Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey lost to primary challenger Corey O’Connor 53% to 47% per unofficial results. This marked “the second time in two elections that Democrats ousted an incumbent mayor — something that hadn’t happened in Pittsburgh in nearly a century before Mr. Gainey accomplished the feat just four years ago when he defeated former Mayor Bill Peduto,” the Post-Gazette reports. O’Connor will face Republican Tony Moreno in the General Election, but as WESA reminds us, “in a city where Democratic voters outnumber Republicans five-to-one, the winner of the Democratic primary is the prohibitive favorite going into November.”
Wolford, Battista get GOP judicial nods
Attorney Matt Wolford of Erie County easily bested Josh Prince for the Republican nomination for Commonwealth Court, while in the Republican primary for Superior Court, attorney Maria Battista defeated Judge Anne Marie Wheatcraft. Democrat primaries for both seats were uncontested. Now, Wolford will face Philly Court of Common Pleas Judge Stella Tsai in November, while Battista will face Washington County Court of Common Pleas Judge (and former State Rep) Brandon Neuman.
‘It’s time for Dems to lead on education’
Democrats for Education Reform CEO Jorge Elorza writes that the Democrat party has become “a party that talks about education but fails to deliver on its core promise: student learning.” To change that, Democrats should focus on innovation, accountability, and choice. “Parents don’t care whether a school is district-run, chartered, or private,” Elorza writes. “They care whether their child is learning, growing and thriving.”
How school choice is ‘reshaping K-12 landscape’
A new report from EdChoice notes, “In 1999, some 74% of parents in the nation sent their child to their assigned public school and 14% accessed [a] public school of their choice. By 2024, just 61% of parents sent their child to their assigned public school.” The report examines “how increased demand for private schooling and homeschooling, supported by public subsidies, has changed the number and types of private schools and homeschool vendors.”