District Judge Tom Swan faces primary challenge from West Deer attorney Shea Kraft

West Deer attorney Shea Kraft is challenging incumbent District Judge Tom Swan in a primary race in the magisterial district that includes East Deer, West Deer, Hampton and Richland.

Swan, 63, a Republican from Richland, is in the final year of his six-year first term. Kraft, 30, a Democrat, is an attorney for a small, general practice handling criminal defense and family law.

Both candidates are cross-filed, meaning they will appear on both the Republican and Democratic ballots. If the same candidate wins both party elections, he will advance to the Nov. 2 primary election as the only candidate, barring a write-in.

Swan and Kraft said they want to serve as a district judge because they prefer to work at the community level.

Before becoming a district judge, Swan served as an Allegheny County deputy district attorney. He worked in the DA’s office for 27 years. He earned a bachelor’s degree in justice from American University in Washington, D.C., and a law degree from Ohio Northern University. He said he was not interested in pursuing a seat on the Allegheny County Common Pleas bench.

“I think I’m doing a good job (as a district judge),” he said. “I can do more for my community by being in my community rather than being in a courthouse.”

Swan said he has presided over 27,000 cases as district judge. He said his experience as an attorney — he logged at least 6,000 hours in Common Pleas courtrooms — has been an asset. As deputy district attorney, Swan said he was a part of helping community and school groups and local police departments.

Swan said he worked to direct money seized from convicted drug traffickers into communities to fund community- based crime prevention programs, including equipment for police such as body cameras, police dogs and other equipment.

Kraft, who never has held public office, earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Temple University in Philadelphia and a law degree from the University of Pittsburgh.

He said he is running for district judge because he wants to be involved in his community at a local level. Kraft said he has the experience and education for the job and a passion for community service.

“We need good people who are reasonable and fair in the office of district judge,” he said. “Politics at the local level is often overlooked by people, but it’s where you can make the most change.”

Given his experience representing clients in local courts, Kraft said as a district judge he would be more empathetic when setting bail for those accused of crimes. He would weigh the life circumstances of the accused, such as their employment and family obligations, before setting a high bail that could keep them behind bars.

“At the magistrate’s court, this is the first level of our court system and most times it deals with people who have never had to go to court for anything,” Kraft said.

“If they have a job, they will most likely lose that job” if a district judge sets an unnecessarily high bail in their case, he said. “If they have a family to support, the incarceration will place a huge hardship on the family.”

District judges across the state earn a salary of $93,338, under the Pennsylvania Code.