Krasner calls for head of Philadelphia Democratic Party to resign

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District Attorney Larry Krasner, a Democrat who has repeatedly been shunned by party officials, is calling for new leadership at the top of the Philadelphia Democratic Party.

After years of battling the Democratic establishment, Krasner seized on state Sen. Sharif Street’s loss Tuesday to progressive candidate Chris Rabb in the 3rd Congressional District race to call for the resignation of Philadelphia Democratic Party chair and former U.S. Rep. Bob Brady.

In an almost two-minute social media video from the outside of party headquarters, known as the Bob Brady Building, Krasner said it was essential for Brady to leave the post he has held for four decades.

“If we don’t, November could be very, very, very dark for the future of this country. I am asking you, Mr. Chairman, to have the wisdom that your friend Joe Biden had, which is to put the outsiders ahead of the insiders, to put the future ahead of the past, and understand that after 40 years serving as chairman of this party, there needs to be some new leadership that will embrace the future, not reject it,” he said.

Krasner went on to talk about collaborating with the Working Families Party, which has become a home for progressive candidates who often operate outside the city’s Democratic establishment.

The DA also spoke about infighting within his party.

“The Democratic Party in Philadelphia far too long has spent more time fighting against progressives, fighting against its future, than they have spent fighting against Republicans, fighting against fascists, fighting against Donald Trump. And so, we are in a position where what we have to do is come together, and we have to fight against our common enemy,” he said.

He called for a “big-tent” approach to fight “against the other side” and help swing the U.S. House and Senate to Democratic control in November.

Street’s loss isn’t the only discontent within the party. Political consultant Neil Oxman said former U.S. Sen. Bob Casey’s 2024 loss to Dave McCormick was a major blow and key to losing control of the U.S. Senate.

“Casey lost the Senate race by 15,000 votes in Pennsylvania, which equals 13 Democratic votes, a division in the city of Philadelphia in each of the 1,600-plus divisions,” Oxman explained.

Oxman said the city’s Democratic leadership has fallen short of modern standards by “not allowing young people in and turning people away.”

The consultant suggested a compromise for Brady to help with party unity.

“I think that’s a great role for him, to be chairman emeritus, because he has a lot of friends in the party, and we should not turn that away,” Oxman said.

The goal, according to Oxman, is to come up with a means of driving up voter turnout for Democrats to win the general election in November.

Brady didn’t know about the video until he was presented with a copy from WHYY. He declined to comment on the video.