Krasner, Boyer Trade Pleasantries at Lunch

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner and labor leader Ryan Boyer exchanged pleasantries at a spring election day lunch after a May dispute.

Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Unions

Krasner, Boyer Trade Pleasantries at Lunch

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Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner attended the biannual election day lunch at South Restaurant & Jazz Club on Tuesday, a month after he was asked to leave the May event following a spat with labor leader Ryan Boyer. The two privately exchanged pleasantries before Krasner departed, shaking hands on the way out.

Why it matters

The encounter signals a thaw between the district attorney and the city's building trades establishment, which backed his primary challenger last year. The lunch is a recurring networking event for officials and labor leaders in the city.

Krasner won his third term as Philadelphia district attorney in landslide fashion last year. The election day lunch at South Restaurant & Jazz Club is held twice a year, and Krasner was removed from the May event after the dispute.

The players

Larry Krasner

Krasner is the Philadelphia district attorney who has faced scrutiny, including an ongoing Department of Justice investigation and a federal judge's remarks about his handling of a complex post-conviction case.

Ryan Boyer

Boyer leads the Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades Council, a major labor organization whose backing of Krasner's primary challenger made it a political rival.

The details

Krasner ate a plate of mac and cheese at the lunch and greeted fellow elected officials, including Council President Kenyatta Johnson and members of the Philadelphia delegation in Harrisburg. Krasner was kicked out of the May lunch following a spat with Boyer, head of the Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades Council.

Last year: Krasner wins his third term; the trades council backs his primary challenger.
May: Krasner is removed from the spring election day lunch after the spat with Boyer.
Tuesday: Krasner returns to the lunch, eats mac and cheese and exchanges pleasantries with Boyer.

Season Trajectory

The thaw follows last year's primary, in which the trades council backed Krasner's challenger, and a Department of Justice investigation now overhangs the district attorney's office. Whether the detente holds will shape labor's relationship with Philadelphia's prosecutorial leadership through the next election cycle.

For Philadelphia residents, the detente matters because the district attorney's relationship with the building trades affects how the city's labor-backed political machinery engages with criminal justice priorities. Shifting alliances can influence budgets, staffing and policy decisions in the office.

The takeaway

Political rivalries in Philadelphia often play out in informal settings as much as on the ballot, and a handshake can signal whether a feud is cooling. Readers tracking the city's justice and labor politics should watch whether the truce holds through the next budget and election cycles.