Larry Krasner Coasts to Victory Over Pat Dugan

Larry Krasner, who just won the Philadelphia Democratic primary

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Larry Krasner Coasts to Victory Over Pat Dugan

I spent much of yesterday pulling Pat Dugan mailers and door-hangers off my stoop. It makes sense: I live in Pennsport, a blue-collar part of the city, one of the parts of the city that Dugan would really have to overperform in to take down the incumbent district attorney. And it appears he did just that: based on ward maps, Dugan won almost every ward in the Northeast, plus big chunks of South Philly. But it wasn’t enough, as Larry Krasner’s coalition of Black voters across North, West, and Northwest Philly, plus nearly division in Center City and its adjacent neighborhoods, came out in droves for the progressive prosecutor. If you’re a numbers freak like me, you can check out division-by-division results here. (And if you’re still interested in learning more about Dugan, give our profile of him from our April issue a read.)

So what does this mean for Krasner? Broadly speaking, it’s an interesting thought experiment. When progressives lose, the general consensus from the chattering online class is that their loss is symbolic of something bigger, that progressivism is in trouble. When they win though? Again and again? Not as many think pieces.

And he technically still has the general election in November, though without a Republican candidate that path certainly seems less daunting. City GOP leaders have tried to convince Dugan to run as a Republican; he’s said he won’t.

The Inquirer Finds Itself in an AI Firestorm

Speaking of the chattering online class, the internet was aflame yesterday, after one curious reader noticed that the Chicago Sun-Times ran a supplement that featured some pretty egregious errors, all generated by AI. (The story totally fabricating new books by authors like Isabel Allende, Rumaan Alam, Andy Weir, and others.) Then, later in the day, we found out that the Inquirer also ran the same section. Inquirer editor Gabriel Escobar said the section, and its use of AI, was a “violation of our own internal policies and a serious breach.”

I’m not going to throw too much dirt at the Inquirer on this one—we don’t use AI for any of our content, but…glass houses, etc.—though I will make one point: what does it say about the value of that supplement that no one noticed the fake books until five days after it came out?

By The Numbers

60: That’s how many years its been since the specter of the Crosstown Expressway loomed over South Street. Tom Fitzgerald and Kevin Riordan have a fascinating story about the fight to kill the expressway (and save Philly) in today’s Inquirer. (See, I can be nice.)

3: As in trio, as in the number of folks who just opened The Little Gay Pub in the Gayborhood.

Zero: Days in the next week that it’s going to hit 75 degrees. Today’s high is 56. A rousing start to the unofficial summer!

Local Talent

Questlove loves his food, so it’s no surprise that the upcoming Roots Picnic (it’s next weekend) has some fine Philly food offerings like Down North Pizza, Doro Bet, Mike’s BBQ, Black Dragon, and Burrito Feliz. Go here for the complete rundown. We’re light years beyond frozen burgers and steamed hot dogs.