Khan told WHYY News that as district attorney, one of his top priorities will be addressing the “environmental catastrophe” in Upper Makefield, where a jet fuel leak contaminated people’s drinking water in January.
“We’re going to make sure we rebuild this office to address the challenges that we face in the 21st century to keep people safe,” he said. “And that’s going to begin by making good on my promise to have a DA’s office that enforces every person’s right to a clean environment here in Bucks County.”
Khan, 50, graduated from University of Chicago Law School. He served as an assistant district attorney at the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, and as a federal prosecutor for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
He currently lives in Doylestown with his two children, whom he cited as his main motivation for running for district attorney.
Democrats swept all five of the county’s row office races in an off-year election that saw close to 50% voter turnout. Khan said the victories are a sign of what the party can accomplish going forward.
“I think we won big, and I think that this is a message of inspiration to folks all across the country about how we need to approach these elections,” he said. “Being true to our values, meeting people where they are, and being authentic when we show up to speak with them.”
Schorn said that although she lost the election, she has “had such an overwhelming outpouring of support that words cannot adequately express just how much it means.”
She credited her colleagues in the DA’s Office with the work they do, and urged the county to raise their pay.
“Every day, I see first hand what the prosecutors in my office do. They too see and hear the unimaginable. When the need arises, they go out to murder scenes, fatal crashes, attend autopsies and child forensic interviews where one cannot unsee or unhear what was seen and heard. Yet, they power through and work for months on end until the case reaches a conclusion in the courtroom.”
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect that Joe Khan is not the first Democrat elected Bucks County district attorney.