More than 30 people are running for Philadelphia City Council’s seven at-large seats. Here’s what you should know.

A philanthropist, a trashman, a reverend, four lawyers, and two public school teachers walk into Philadelphia City Council.

Or at least they’re trying to.

More than 30 people have filed paperwork to run for the chamber’s seven at-large seats this year. Unlike Council’s 10 district members, at-large lawmakers are elected by voters citywide. In a deep blue city, five seats have been a historic lock for Democrats, while two are reserved for minority-party members.

The at-large race always attracts an Olympic-sized pool of candidates — 23 ran in 2015, a whopping 35 in 2019 — but the stakes are unusually high in this year’s contest.

In May, Democrats will nominate at least two new faces for Council, opening the door to more political change on a body that has seen considerable gains on the left in recent years. Three Democratic incumbents are also seeking reelection. Republicans will pick their own slate, too, as they cling to their last minority-party seat four years after losing one to the Working Families Party.

Here’s a look at the state of the race right now.

Council’s at-large wing has seen dramatic turnover since last summer, with three members resigning to run for mayor. And with the departure of progressive stalwart Helen Gym, there’s a lot of interest from business groups in swinging the body’s political momentum back toward the center.

At-large members are viewed as less powerful than their district counterparts, who control land-use decisions on their turf. But over the last eight years, at-large members like Gym and others have widened the seat’s reputation, crafting citywide laws that have attracted national attention and using the office as a bully pulpit to influence policy.

Not everyone is happy with the progressive energy that has swept through Council’s chambers since 2015.

“There are a lot of people who are more concerned about the direction of City Council than who the next mayor is going to be, because they see a leftward tilt,” said Larry Ceisler, a public relations executive and longtime City Hall observer. “That’s coming from large and small businesses, for-profit and nonprofit institutions.”

Three of the five at-large Democratic incumbents are running for reelection: first-term lawmakers Isaiah Thomas and Katherine Gilmore Richardson, who were both elected in 2019, and newcomer Jimmy Harrity, whom party leaders tapped to fill a vacant seat in a November special election.

Councilmember Sharon Vaughn, who was handpicked by party leaders to fill another seat alongside Harrity, is not running for a full term. That guarantees at least two Democratic seats will see fresh leaders next year.

Candidates have three months until the primary. But trying to get voters’ attention in a crowded field — over the cacophonous din of the mayor’s race — is easier said than done.

With little name recognition, candidates will have to leverage every trick in the campaign book, courting local politicos, securing endorsements, fund-raising, and of course, knocking on doors.

“Money plays such an incredible role,” said former at-large Councilmember Angel Ortiz, “but you need a citywide coalition.”

Ortiz said the votes for at-large members are won through trusted networks — organizations, unions, and community groups that people turn to for guidance come election day.

But endorsements don’t come easy. Or cheap, in some cases.

The Democratic City Committee voted to endorse the three incumbents seeking reelection, and one newcomer, attorney Rue Landau. The party left the fifth slot open, and encouraged the city’s 66 wards to choose between one of three recommended candidates for the final spot.

The party’s nod means candidates’ names will be put on sample ballots and boosted by party members on Election Day citywide. Some feel the endorsement has lost its muscle in recent years. In 2015, three of the party-backed Democrats on the at-large ballot ended up losing, and there have been several upsets that toppled party-backed candidates in other races since then.

“The City Committee has a sketchy win record with its endorsements,” said Carol Jenkins, Democratic leader of the 27th Ward.

In 2019, however, the establishment-backed candidates swept the at-large races, and the endorsement remains a coveted spot in down-ballot contests, where the candidates are less well-known. In some wards, candidates interview with all of a ward’s committee people to seek their endorsement. In others, ward leaders make the call.

“It changes the face of the race for sure,” said Erika Almiron, an immigrant-rights organizer and Democratic candidate who is one of the party’s three recommended candidates for the fifth seat. Part of her pitch to ward leaders is representation.

“There’s never been a Latina at-large councilmember,” she said. “Never.”

How much does it cost to be competitive in a citywide Council race? Low-end estimates vary between $150,000 and $250,000.

Candidates who started fund-raising last year carried a combined $1.4 million into 2023, according to new campaign finance filings, and unsurprisingly, three of the most senior at-large council members led the pack.

Richardson ended the year with $250,000 cash on hand, followed by Thomas, who flashed $200,000. Councilmember Kendra Brooks, a first-term lawmaker from the Working Families Party, had $139,427 on hand.

But several newcomers signaled a serious fund-raising effort. Five Democrats who have announced their campaigns brought at least $50,000 into the election year.

Landau carried $130,566. Former Council staffer Eryn Santamoor had $110,866. Then came philanthropist Max Tuttleman ($84,155), political organizer Amanda McIllmurray ($73,108), and former deputy mayor Nina Ahmad ($53,069).

Councilmember David Oh, the last at-large Republican, resigned Monday to run for mayor.

Like Democrats, Republicans choose their own slate of five candidates in the primary, but in practicality, given Philadelphia’s liberal electorate, they’re competing for two seats against other minority-party candidates in the general election. Six Republicans had filed paperwork indicating they would run as of Friday.

Whoever represents the GOP will have a tough fight come November, as the Working Family Party mounts another offensive after its insurgent victory with Brooks in 2019.

Nicolas O’Rourke, a pastor and organizer with the party, is running again, and he already has nearly $100,000 in the bank, with a long runway to November.

The pool of candidates is still in flux, and while new campaigns may emerge in the coming days, it’s more likely that some will drop out within a month.

Nominating petitions are due in mid-March, and if candidates can’t secure enough valid signatures, they won’t get on the ballot.

The so-called “coffee can of destiny” could also send some packing after March 15.

In a hallowed if archaic tradition, political candidates in Philadelphia determine their position on the ballot by drawing numbered bingo balls from a decades-old Horn & Hardart coffee can. Conventional wisdom holds that ballot placement can make or break a campaign in a crowded race like the at-large contest.

“The pool will be reduced after it all plays out,” predicted Jenkins, the ward leader.