Candidate Joe Khan. Credit: Submitted
Democrat Joe Khan, a former prosecutor and Bucks County solicitor, appears to have defeated incumbent Republican District Attorney Jennifer Schorn, according to unofficial election results.
Khan, a Central Bucks County resident, sought to unseat Schorn, who took office last year after former District Attorney Matt Weintraub was elected as a Court of Common Pleas judge.
Schorn has worked in the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office for more than 25 years.
Khan’s victory secures a key post for Democrats, who have won several county row offices in recent years, but the high-profile District Attorney’s office had remained in Republican hands.
Khan said earlier this year his background — with a Muslim father and Catholic mother — helped shape his ability to build bridges between cultures.
The attorney and former prosecutor has a 16-year background as a prosecutor, and his time as county solicitor has informed his approach to his goals for the office, he said.
Khan became the county government’s top lawyer in early 2020 after the new Democratic-majority Bucks County Commissioners took office and was responsible for establishing the county’s first full-time law department and overseeing its staff. He resigned in April 2023 amid rumors he planned to run for the state attorney general’s job.
Khan said earlier this year he plans to broaden the office’s focus beyond traditional criminal prosecution to include more consumer protection, worker rights and environmental enforcement cases. He also told this news organization he would bring a proactive approach to safeguarding residents from crime, corruption and threats to their rights if elected.
The election marks Khan’s third run for a major office. He previously ran against Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner when he lived in the city and lost, and he also lost in the primary for Pennsylvania attorney general in 2024.
