Philadelphia mayoral candidates vie for nomination in crowded Democratic primary

Philadelphia Democrats went to the polls Tuesday to pick their party’s mayoral nominee, who is likely to go on to be the city’s 100th mayor — the city is heavily Democratic and has not elected a Republican mayor since the 1950s. 

Polls closed at 8 p.m. EDT. With about 66% of precincts reporting, Cherelle Parker was leading with 32.89% of the vote, with Rebecca Rhynhart in a distant second place with 22.33%.  

Philadelphia mayoral polls leading up to primary day

Recent polls had shown that five Democrats — Parker, Rhynhart, Helen Gym, Allan Domb and Jeff Brown — have a shot at winning, including the three women who could become the city’s first female mayor. In April the nonpartisan nonprofit Committee of Seventy‘s survey found all five in a statistical tie. 

According to CBS Philadelphia, polling suggests as many as 1 in 5 Democratic voters here are still undecided. All five leading candidates have been campaigning hard leading up to primary day.

Philadelphia and national Democrats

Philadelphia, the nation’s sixth-largest city by population, is a crucial city for Democrats nationally in the swing state of Pennsylvania. President Joe Biden won Pennsylvania by about 80,000 votes, with most coming from Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and the surrounding suburbs. 

“It’s one of the few states that was sort of very close in the 2020 election, and I think for the Democrats in Pennsylvania, the big issue for the mayor is not only to sort of govern the city but encourage turnout, get them out to the polls in the presidential race,” said William Drexel, a professor of political science at Drexel University. 

National Democrats have been keeping an eye on the state — Mr. Biden endorsed a candidate in a special General Assembly race that’s also taking place Tuesday. Democrats took control of the Assembly in November for the first time since 2010, but state Rep. Mike Zabe resigned in March after he was accused of sexual harassment. While Zabe’s former district is located in the increasingly blue Philadelphia suburbs, Democrats aren’t taking any chances in the race, having raised more than $1 million since April for the race.

Most expensive Philadelphia mayoral race in history

The mayor’s race in Philadelphia is the most expensive in the city’s history, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer, with two candidates — Derek Green and Maria Quiñones Sánchez — dropping out because the price of the race was too high. 

Over $14 million of the $24 million being spent has come from two wealthy candidates who are funding their races, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Domb, a real estate developer, has poured $10.2 million into his race, and Brown, a Philadelphia grocery store chain owner, has contributed $3 million to his campaign.

Two other frontrunners — Gym and Rhynhart — had each raised about $2 million, and Parker had raised $1.7 million. 

Issues in the mayoral race

The issue dominating the race has been crime, although all the candidates generally agree on how to combat it. Poverty and quality of life have also been major issues. 

“You’ve got this real dissatisfaction, more so than I think normal,” said Richardson Dilworth, the head of the political science department at Drexel and the author of “Reforming Philadelphia 1682-2022.” He said of Mayor Jim Kenney, “Fairly or unfairly, the current mayor has just gotten absolutely heaped on for sort of not doing much — hiding away and stuff like that.” 

Dilworth said there’s a need among voters to feel like “somebody’s home, in some respects.” 

The mayoral candidates

Gym, a former teacher, community organizer and City Council member, is the progressive in the race. And she got a boost from two of the best-known progressives in the country last week when Sen. Bernie Sanders and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez both campaigned for her.

Parker, a former Philadelphia City Council member, has been endorsed by many of the ward leaders and other local political leaders. And Mayor Kenney also said he voted for Parker. She is the only Black candidate left in the race, and 44% of the city’s population is Black. Parker has racked up support from many of the Black community leaders, but it hasn’t been enough to put her in the lead. 

Rhynhart, meanwhile, has been endorsed by major Democratic figures, including former Mayors Ed Rendell and Michael Nutter, as well as the Philadelphia Inquirer. Rhynhart is the former Philadelphia controller and has sought to set herself apart on policy. 

While all three women have collected union endorsements, Brown won the coveted endorsement of the city’s largest municipal union. 

Because the May primary falls in an off-election year, turnout is expected to be low. Candidates have been trying to boost their support at the polls. Sanders, in his speech on Sunday, told voters “there is no doubt in my mind that Helen is the next mayor of Philadelphia,” if everyone in the crowd votes and brings a few friends or family to the polls. 

Whoever wins Tuesday’s primary will face Republican Richard Oh in November.