Elections in odd-numbered years tend to be relatively quiet affairs, especially with many races having effectively been decided during the spring primary.

This year, however, the run-up to the election has been a bit more exciting than usual, with arguably higher stakes.

That’s in part because what are usually routine, non-partisan retention votes for the state Supreme Court have drawn millions of dollars in campaign spending, as conservative activists seek to oust three Democratic judges ahead of the 2028 presidential election.

In addition, there’s an unusual rematch between District Attorney Larry Krasner and challenger Patrick Dugan, who lost the Democratic primary but is now running as the Republican nominee.

Also on the ballot are retention votes for a Superior Court judge and other judges, as well as regular elections for local and state courts.

In many districts, residents can vote for the judges of elections and inspectors who run local polling places — you can find their names by looking up the sample ballot for your address, or by checking the full list posted by the City Commissioners office.

If you’re voting by mail, remember that completed ballots must be received by the Board of Elections by 8 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 4. So be sure to mail yours in immediately or, better yet, drop it at an election office or a ballot dropbox before the deadline.

For more info on how to vote by mail, find ballot dropboxes, fix flawed ballots, and deal with special voting situations, check out Billy Penn’s recent voting guide.

Feeling overwhelmed by all those candidates for judge? The good news is that Billy Penn’s Procrastinator’s Guide is here to help. Take a look through this article, then bookmark it for reference as you fill out your mail ballot or head to the polls.

Have any questions about Election Day? Let us know at tips@billypenn.com.

District Attorney

The district attorney is the city’s top prosecutor, tasked with investigating and charging thousands of criminal cases every year. Check out WHYY News’ full article on the candidates.

Pat Dugan (Democrat, running as Republican nominee)

Dugan is an Army veteran who was appointed a Municipal Court judge in 2007, served as president judge for five years, and retired last year. He ran for Superior Court in 2023, coming in third in the Democratic primary.

He touts his work setting up Veterans Court, which aims to move defendants who are veterans into drug treatment and diversion programs, and helping launch the city’s Eviction Diversion Program. He led the court through the pandemic, in part by holding hearings in jails to overcome judicial backlogs.

Dugan argues that Krasner’s lenient policies toward accused criminals contributed to historic spikes in murders and other crime during the pandemic and continuing high rates of retail theft. He also criticizes the DA for inadequate hiring and retention of assistant DAs and says Krasner’s poor relationship with other city officials hampers cooperation on anti-crime efforts.

Dugan lost the Democratic primary in May, but received enough Republican write-in votes to run in the general election as the Republican nominee. His decision to accept the nomination was criticized by Krasner and other Democrats.

Larry Krasner (Democrat, incumbent)

Krasner was elected in 2017 and is seeking a third term. A longtime civil rights attorney before he took office, he has focused on reducing prosecution of many minor offenses, reducing incarceration, supporting community groups that do violence prevention work, exonerating wrongfully convicted people, and prosecuting police and former prosecutors for alleged misconduct.

He has highlighted recent drops in most categories of crime, including the lowest homicide rate in decades. Krasner frequently cites his opposition to Trump administration policies, and says he could potentially prosecute immigration officials who violate the law.

In response to Dugan’s criticism, he says reducing the jail population benefits offenders and the city, and does not lead to more crime. Last year, he ended a policy of not prosecuting smaller retail thefts, and says retail theft rates have dropped slightly in the past year. He defends his attorney recruitment and training efforts, and says he has good relationships with the mayor and police commissioner.

City Controller

The city controller is an elected position tasked with overseeing the city’s operations and auditing them when they seem fishy. This official is elected to a 4-year term, and is not subject to term limits.

Christy Brady (Democrat, incumbent)

Brady was appointed acting controller in November 2022 and won a full term a year later. A certified public accountant, she previously held various positions in the controller’s office for over 30 years. She cites accomplishments including investigating delays in the demolition of dangerous properties, missteps in gun violence prevention funding, distribution of opioid settlement funds, and the Rebuild program.

Her priorities include investigating code violations, the use of unlicensed construction workers and other illegal development practices, and auditing the Office of Property Assessment and the city’s contracting process.

Ari Patrinos (Republican)

Patrinos is a city native who worked as a stockbroker in New York and taught math and history at Philadelphia public schools. He vows to push for “responsible budgeting and transparent oversight” in the schools, lower taxes, more transparency in government, pro-business policies and less “bureaucratic red tape.” He told the Inquirer he would audit the Department of Licenses and Inspections, see if SEPTA could do more to prevent fare evasion, and push for more information technology career prep in the schools.

Judicial retention votes

Supreme Court retention

The seven-member Supreme Court is the state’s highest court, hearing appeals from lower courts. Justices are elected to 10-year terms. They face non-partisan retention votes to serve another term, or until mandatory retirement at 75. (Vote yes or no to retain each justice.) Read WHYY News’ article on the candidates.

Christine Donohue

Donohue grew up in Carbon County. She was in private practice for 27 years before being elected to the Superior Court in 2007 and the Supreme Court in 2015. She held judicial oversight roles on the Judicial Conduct Board, the Court of Judicial Discipline, and the Pennsylvania Bar’s House of Delegates.

Donohue has authored major opinions on voting rights and reproductive access. In 2022, she wrote the opinion upholding Pennsylvania’s no‑excuse mail voting law, and last year authored the decision that a voter whose mail-in ballot is rejected because of a disqualifying mistake must be given the opportunity to submit a provisional ballot on Election Day. In 2024, she wrote a majority opinion effectively striking down a 1982 law that banned the use of Medicaid funds for abortion.

The Pennsylvania Bar Association recommended her for retention. If retained, she could serve two more years before her state-mandated retirement in 2027.

Kevin Dougherty

Dougherty, a Philadelphia native, began his career as a prosecutor in the DA’s office and later worked in private practice, focusing on family law and criminal defense. In 2001, he was appointed to the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas and later became its administrative judge. He was elected to the Supreme Court in 2015.

Dougherty has recently authored decisions protecting a lesbian mother’s parental status, upholding a city’s restriction on the location of gun ranges, and allowing a case to proceed against a Philadelphia police detective who was charged with tampering with evidence. He partially dissented from a majority ruling limiting legislative power during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying a law that allowed the legislature to override the governor’s emergency powers was unconstitutional.

Critics note that he’s the brother of John “Johnny Doc” Dougherty, the former electricians’ union leader and power broker who was convicted on federal corruption charges in 2023 and is currently in prison. The Pennsylvania Bar Association recommended the justice for retention.

David Wecht

A Maryland native who grew up in the Pittsburgh area, Wecht clerked for a federal judge in Washington, D.C. and worked at a private law firm before returning to Pittsburgh and founding a law firm. He was elected Register of Wills and clerk of Orphans Court in Allegheny County, and then to the county’s Court of Common Pleas, where he served as an administrative judge.

He was elected to the state Superior Court in 2011 and the Supreme Court in 2015. He’s also taught law at Duquesne University, the University of Pittsburgh, and institutions in China and Israel.

In 2017, he wrote the majority decision that allowed underfunded school districts to challenge Pennsylvania’s school funding system, and in 2019 authored the decision defending Pittsburgh’s right to mandate paid sick leave for private workers. He also voted to uphold Gov. Tom Wolf’s emergency powers during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Wecht was recommended for retention by the Pennsylvania Bar Association.

Superior Court retention

The Superior Court hears appeals in criminal and civil cases from the Courts of Common Pleas, and some cases involving children and families. The 15 judges are elected for 10-year terms, after which they face a retention vote for another term. (Vote yes or no to retain.) Read WHYY News’ article on the candidates.

Alice DuBow

Dubow grew up in Montgomery County, clerked for the Bucks County Court of Common Pleas County, practiced commercial and insurance-defense law in private firms, was a deputy counsel at Drexel University, and served as a divisional deputy city solicitor in Philadelphia. She was a judge in the city’s Court of Common Pleas before being elected to the Superior Court in 2015.

Her rulings have included one throwing out evidence from a traffic stop because police collected it after the initial reason for the stop had ended, making it an unconstitutional search. Dubow ruled a widow could not be forced to reveal private conversations with her late husband, reaffirming that the state’s spousal-communication privilege still applies after a spouse dies, and she ruled that a landlord’s insurance company could sue tenants for fire damage because their lease didn’t make them co-insureds.

The Pennsylvania Bar Association recommended her for retention.

Commonwealth Court retention

The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania is one of the state’s two appellate courts. Judges are elected for 10-year terms, followed by retention votes to serve another term. (Vote yes or no to retain.) Read WHYY News’ article on the candidates.

Michael Wojcik

Wojcik worked as a solicitor for Allegheny County and at a law firm before joining the Commonwealth Court in 2016. He has said his judicial philosophy centers on independence, restraint and fidelity to the law rather than politics, and that judges must apply established standards of review and leave personal views at the door. He received a “recommended” rating from the Pennsylvania Bar Association.

Marty Bergman and Cindy Hoffman voted at the Museum of the American Revolution in Old City during the April 2024 primary. (Emma Lee/WHYY)

Court of Common Pleas retention

This is Philly’s general trial court. (Vote yes or no to retain judges for an additional 10-year term.) Read WHYY News’ article for a rundown of all the judges.

The Philadelphia Bar Association recommended the candidates for retention, except for the following: Daine Grey, who was not recommended; and Scott DiClaudio, Frank Palumbo, and Lyris Younge, who declined to participate in the recommendation process.

Gwendolyn Bright

Ann Butchart

Scott DiClaudio

Michael Fanning

Daine Grey Jr.

Christopher Mallios

Walter Olszewski

Frank Palumbo

Ourania “Rainy” Papademetriou

Tracy Roman

Stephanie Sawyer

Susan Schulman

Lyris Younge

Municipal Court retention

This trial court is divided into three divisions: criminal, civil and traffic. The judges hear trials for some misdemeanors, summary offenses and felonies. They serve 6-year terms. (Vote yes or no for retention.) Here are WHYY’s brief profiles of the judges.

The Philadelphia Bar Association recommended the candidates for retention except for Jacquelyn Frazier-Lyde, who was not recommended.

David Conroy

Henry Lewandowski

Wendy Pew

Francis Shields

Jacquelyn Frazier-Lyde

Voters stepped from booths after casting their ballots on Election Day in Philadelphia, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Open judicial seats

Judge of the Superior Court

The Superior Court hears appeals in criminal and civil cases from the Courts of Common Pleas, and some cases involving children and families. The 15 judges are chosen in statewide elections, and serve 10-year terms. (Vote for one.) Read more about them here.

Brandon Neuman (Democrat)

Neuman is a former four-term state House representative from the Pittsburgh area who serves as a judge in the Washington County Court of Common Pleas. He was previously a trial lawyer handling complex civil litigation and nursing home neglect cases, and he ran for lieutenant governor in 2014. He is highly recommended by the Pennsylvania Bar Association.

Maria Battista (Republican)

Battista is an attorney in private practice, focusing on government contracting. She previously worked for the U.S. Navy, the Defense Logistics Agency, the Pa. departments of Health and State, and as a county prosecutor. In addition to her law degree, she has a PhD in education from the University of Pittsburgh. She ran for Superior Court before in 2023. She declined to participate in the Pennsylvania Bar recommendation process.

Daniel Wassmer (Liberal Party)

Wassmer is an attorney in private practice who teaches at Bucks County Community College and was previously a Bucks County assistant solicitor. He previously ran for U.S. Senate. He said his candidacy stems from a desire to restore independence to a politically polarized system. He says he is pro-choice, pro-Second Amendment, anti-war, against mass incarceration, pro-immigrant and a supporter of “LGBTQIA2S+ rights.” The Pennsylvania Bar Association did not review his candidacy.

Judge of the Commonwealth Court

The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania is one of the state’s two appellate courts. (Vote for one.) Read more about the candidates here.

Stella Tsai (Democrat)

Tsai has been a judge in Philadelphia’s Court of Common Pleas since 2016. She has experience in the civil and criminal trial courts, Orphans’ Court, Family Court and other divisions, and held positions with the city’s Law Department, Civil Service Commission, Board of Ethics and other entities. She teaches at Penn Law and was previously a litigator representing a variety of clients. She is highly recommended by the Philadelphia and Pennsylvania bar associations.

Matt Wolford (Republican)

Wolford runs a solo law practice in Erie, representing a variety of clients and specializing in environmental law. He’s worked for the state Department of Environment Protection, as a state deputy attorney general in charge of an environmental crimes field office, and as a special prosecutor for the state AG and the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania. He is highly recommended by the Pennsylvania Bar Association.

An “I Voted Today sticker” from a few years back. (Danya Henninger/Billy Penn)

Judge of the Court of Common Pleas

This is Philly’s general trial court. The judges have original jurisdiction over most civil cases. (Vote for up to 11 candidates.)

There are no Republican candidates. All the candidates are recommended by the Philadelphia Bar Association except Joseph Russo, who declined to participate in the review process.

Democrats

Will Braverman

An attorney focusing on employee-side labor law, child welfare and mental health court, Braveman previously worked as a law clerk in the Court of Common Pleas, a deputy city solicitor, a DJ and a recording artist.

Sarah Jones

Jones is an attorney in private practice. She focuses primarily on family law matters, including protection from abuse, custody, child support, divorce and grandparents’ rights cases.

Deborah Watson-Stokes

Watson-Stokes is a longtime assistant district attorney in the DA’s office, including 18 years in the homicide unit. She was previously a public school teacher and adjunct law professor.

Kia Ghee

Ghee has served as executive director of the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations and as a lawyer in the Law Department. She previously worked for nonprofits, managing Head Start programs.

Irina Erhlich

Elrich is a former Philadelphia assistant district attorney who is in private practice, focusing on criminal defense, immigration, personal injury and guardianships. She is originally from Ukraine and immigrated to the U.S. in 1994.

Larry Farnese

Farnese served three terms as a state senator representing parts of South Philadelphia and the River Wards and has worked as an attorney in private practice. In 2017, he was acquitted on a charge of bribing a city Democratic Party official.

Leon King II

King is an attorney who has served as Philadelphia’s prison commissioner, a deputy city solicitor, a staffer for former City Councilmember Frank Rizzo, and a deputy commissioner for Maryland’s prison system.

Brian Kisielewski

Kisielewski has managed pro bono (volunteer) initiatives for the Faegre Drinker law firm and previously founded the First Judicial District’s Elder Justice & Civil Resource Center. He was also a Common Pleas law clerk and a post-conviction and habeas corpus criminal appeals attorney.

Anthony Stefanski

Stefanski has worked for the District Attorney’s Office and private law firms, and for the past three years has represented the Democratic City Committee.

Joseph Russo

Russo has clerked for Court of Common Pleas judges and has a personal injury law firm. He’s a judge of elections and chairs the Democratic City Committee’s pro bono legal team. He did not run in the primary, but was granted a “magic seat” nomination for an open seat by the Democratic party. Russo declined to participate in the Philadelphia Bar Association’s judicial review process.

Jennifer Santiago

Santiago worked in the Bronx District Attorney’s Domestic Violence Bureau and clerked in the Court of Common Pleas. She’s now in private practice, handling criminal defense, family law and civil litigation. Santiago did not run in the primary, but received a “magic seat” nomination.

Judge of the Municipal Court

This is a trial court divided into three divisions: criminal, civil and traffic. The judges hear trials for some misdemeanors, summary offenses and felonies. (Vote for up to four candidates.) There are no Republican candidates.

Democrats

Amanda Davidson

Davidson is in private practice, handling criminal defense, personal injury and workers’ compensation cases in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. She is recommended by the Philadelphia Bar Association.

Sherrie Cohen

Cohen is a tenants rights lawyer who previously ran for City Council. She has advocated for affordable housing construction, LGBTQ+ rights, keeping city libraries open, and ending cash bail, among other causes. She is not recommended by the Philadelphia Bar Association.

Cortez Patton

Patton is chief counsel to state Senator Anthony Williams. He has worked to reform the criminal justice system with a focus on probation reform, reentry support, and the sealing of nonviolent criminal records. He is not recommended by the Philadelphia Bar Association.

Michael Parkinson

Parkinson is a former Philadelphia prosecutor who is in private practice. He has served as civil arbitrator for the city courts. He is recommended by the Philadelphia Bar Association

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