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Why Philly has never elected a woman | Morning Newsletter

And Temple’s striking grad students fight on.

Eight mayoral candidates pause before leaving the stage after a forum Sunday, Jan. 15. From left are: Grocery store owner Jeff Brown; retired Municipal Court Judge James DeLeon; former City Councilmembers Maria Quiñones-Sánchez, Derek Green, Helen Gym, Allan Domb, and Cherelle Parker; and former City Controller Rebecca Rhynhart. DiverseForce and the African American Chamber of Commerce hosted the event with members of the BBeX  Network of professionals (Black and Brown Excellence).
Eight mayoral candidates pause before leaving the stage after a forum Sunday, Jan. 15. From left are: Grocery store owner Jeff Brown; retired Municipal Court Judge James DeLeon; former City Councilmembers Maria Quiñones-Sánchez, Derek Green, Helen Gym, Allan Domb, and Cherelle Parker; and former City Controller Rebecca Rhynhart. DiverseForce and the African American Chamber of Commerce hosted the event with members of the BBeX Network of professionals (Black and Brown Excellence).Read moreTom Gralish / Staff Photographer

    The Morning Newsletter

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Expect a windy day and mostly cloudy skies this morning. Temps will reach the low 60s.

In the crowded Philly mayor’s race, four women are running for the top job. All of them have experience in city government and have a viable path to win.

Of its 99 mayors dating back to the late 17th century, Philadelphia has never elected a woman.

Our lead story explains why it’s never happened and if 2023 could finally be the year.

If you see this 🔑 in today’s newsletter, that means we’re highlighting our exclusive journalism. You need to be a subscriber to read these stories.

— Taylor Allen (@TayImanAllen, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

Philadelphia and New York are the only two big U.S. cities to never have a female mayor.

That could change this year with former Council members Helen Gym, Cherelle Parker, and Maria Quiñones Sánchez, and former Controller Rebecca Rhynhart running for the executive position. (Sidenote: We asked all four what the potential to make history means to them)

Not many women have run for mayor in the city.

  1. Happy Fernandez was the first to seek a major-party nomination in 1999.

  2. Former District Attorney Lynne Abraham, the first woman with elected executive leadership to launch a bid, ran in 2015 but finished third in the Democratic primary.

  3. Republicans nominated Daphne Goggins in 2019 and Melissa Murray Bailey in 2015 — but with the party registration disadvantage at 7-to-1, they entered a largely losing battle.

No Democrat has won their party’s nomination in the city.

Click here to learn why the candidates and supporters believe this year could be different.

Temple graduate students are feeling the weight of Temple’s tactics as they enter the third week of a strike over pay and benefits.

Temple discontinued paying for health insurance and withdrew tuition remission for striking graduate students.

Important figures: The union wants to raise pay to $32,000, which it said is a necessary cost-of-living adjustment.

  1. The current pay for a teaching and research assistant is $19,500 per year.

  2. The university’s offer of 3% raises over the four-year contract gets the average pay to about $22,000 by 2026.

Political will is building in their favor. City, state, and federal legislators have voiced support for the union, as well as national union leaders and educator associations.

The union could have a long road ahead if other schools with recent grad student strikes are any indication. Graduate students at Columbia University had to strike for 10 weeks but ended up with significantly higher pay.

Keep reading to hear from TUGSA members who say they are more galvanized than ever to continue the fight.

What you should know today

  1. The gunman who killed three people and injured five others Monday night at Michigan State University has been identified as a former New Jersey resident.

  2. See how Eagles and Chiefs fans’ heart rates spiked during the Super Bowl.

  3. According to a Penn State University study, tens of thousands of people will die in the U.S each year if most people don’t get an annual COVID vaccine.

  4. The Pennsylvania school funding decision was the culmination of an 83-year-old Philly lawyer’s life’s work.

  5. Starbucks must rehire and give backpay to two Philly baristas who were fired after leading organizing efforts.

  6. We had a conversation with Sonalee Rashatwar, also known as “The Fat Sex Therapist” about gray asexuality, pleasure, and attraction.

🧠 Trivia time 🧠

The number of marriages in 2020 was the lowest recorded since 1963, because of pandemic-related delays.

New Jersey was 10th in the country for a rebound in couples saying “I do” in 2021.

Where did Pennsylvania place?

A. 1st

B. 16th

C. 12th

D. 2nd

Find out if you know the answer.

What we’re...

👟Viewing: An inside look at Philly’s first Sneaker Con.

👀Watching: Former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley announced her candidacy for president. She is the first major challenger to former President Donald Trump for the 2024 Republican nomination.

💰Trying: To play this budget game and tackle financial planning with the median salary of a Philly worker.

🧩 Unscramble the anagram 🧩

Hint: Longtime WIP host

ADELLA COATING

We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Send us your own original anagram to unscramble if you’d like. Cheers to Dan Tureck, who correctly guessed Tuesday’s answer: Jazmine Sullivan. Email us if you know the answer.

Photo of the day

And that’s it from me. I’m staring the day with a morning run 👟. Thank you for beginning yours with The Inquirer.