Positioned under a big umbrella held by a close associate, Mr. Larry Krasner on Tuesday night took a short stroll from his victory party, where he had to navigate through a crowd of jubilant supporters in order to reach the brisk outside, to his Center City Philadelphia campaign headquarters, where a serene atmosphere persisted.
During the two-block walk, Mr. Krasner – who had been declared Philadelphia District Attorney-elect by the Associated Press at 9:08pm – strolled as if he were heading to lunch. He wasn’t in a rush. And his smile was sustained, but not in a way that implied shock.
Indeed, Mr. Krasner – who drives a sleek sports-car and who once showed-off his Tribe Called Quest socks during an interview – was his usual laid-back and measured self, despite him just making news and history.
The nonchalant manner Mr. Krasner exhibited on Election Night may have been attributed to an overwhelming sense of confidence. In other words, Mr. Krasner, a lifelong Democrat and former criminal defense attorney, likely knew he would be victorious campaigning in a city where his party outnumbers Republicans 7-1. Outside the watch-party when I arrived shortly after 8pm was a glowing screen with Mr. Krasner’s face on it which read “Congratulations.”
Away from the noise, Mr. Krasner, who acquired 75% of the vote, last night told me he attributes his success in the General Election to his “least-of-these campaign.” He said his team made a “concerted effort” to engage those who would otherwise not vote.
An example of the aforementioned is Mr. Isaac Gardner, who leads the Justice for David Jones Coalition, a newly formed radical group birthed from a controversial June 8th fatal officer-involved-shooting. Mr. Gardner, 40-years-old and a formerly incarcerated person, had never voted before until Tuesday.
The first vote he had ever cast was for Mr. Krasner, whom he believes to be the most authentic and outspoken person he’s seen run for office. But more than just voting for Mr. Krasner, Mr. Gardner joined the movement and began canvassing neighborhoods, many of which take a backseat to Center City Philadelphia.
Most campaigns canvass neighborhoods where people vote reliably, Mr. Krasner explained. The Krasner campaign did some of that, he noted, but it also went to the areas where “politicians don’t even go to lie.”
“Judging by the results, it was successful,” said Mr. Krasner, who is spending his Wednesday morning in New York City.
Mr. Krasner orchestrated a grassroots movement where social justice issues like ending cash bail and mass incarceration was centered, rather than conducting a traditional political campaign. He says so himself whenever he has the chance.
“This is what a movement looks like,” Mr. Krasner, flanked by his immediate family, chanted on stage at Tuesday night’s victory party.
On Wednesday morning during a brief interview on WURD Radio, Mr. Krasner – who since declaring his candidacy has amassed national media attention – said the story is the movement, not him.
“We had close to 150,000 votes for our campaign,” touted Mr. Krasner, who asserted that no Philadelphia District Attorney had ever received more than 100,000 votes. “That’s a mandate,” he declared.
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Photo courtesy of the author.