Bucks County, Pennsylvania, will have a new district attorney next year after Democratic challenger Joe Khan defeated Republican incumbent Jennifer Schorn Tuesday night.

With 100% of precincts reporting, Khan was leading with about 54% of the votes to Schorn’s roughly 46%, unofficial county election results show.

“Sixty years ago, this country passed the Civil Rights Act and welcomed my dad from Pakistan,” Khan said in a statement through his campaign. “Tonight, Bucks County has given the nation a beacon of hope by voting out cruelty and corruption and electing a Democrat as district attorney for the first time in our history.”

Khan previously worked as Bucks County solicitor after being appointed in 2020, handling several cases brought by President Trump’s campaign over election rules and ballots in the county. He was also behind the first county-level lawsuit against TikTok and other social media companies.

Schorn, a lifelong Bucks County resident, was sworn in as DA in January 2024. Schorn was appointed to the position to fill a vacancy after former DA Matt Weintraub was elected to be a Common Pleas Court judge. 

She started her career in public service in 1999 when she joined the Bucks County DA’s office as an assistant district attorney. In her past year-plus as DA, she has announced major news, including the recent closure of the 63-year-old cold case of Carol Ann Dougherty, a 9-year-old girl who was sexually assaulted and murdered in a Bristol Borough church in 1962.

Her campaign pledged to stand up for senior citizens and protect them from fraud, combat the opioid epidemic and partner with local law enforcement. 

Khan is a former candidate for Philadelphia district attorney and Pennsylvania attorney general. He campaigned on his job experience, including years as a prosecutor in the Philadelphia DA’s office and as a federal prosecutor.

He also ran attack ads saying Schorn declined to prosecute companies involved with a Sunoco pipeline that leaked jet fuel into well water in the county.

Khan was not the only Democrat to win big in Bucks County on election night. Voters also unseated Republican sheriff Fred Harran, electing Democrat Danny Ceisler.

Schorn’s campaign could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday.

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