Three incumbents and two newcomers lead in Democratic at-large City Council primary

Two party-backed incumbents and two newcomers won Democratic nominations for four of the five at-large seats on Philadelphia City Council in the 27-way primary.

Councilmembers Isaiah Thomas and Katherine Gilmore Richardson — party favorites who built broad coalitions across the Democratic establishment — are on a clear path to their second terms in office after being declared winners Wednesday morning.

Housing and civil rights lawyer Rue Landau, a progressive backed by the Democratic Party, also won Wednesday morning, positioning herself to become the first openly LGBTQ Council member.

One other newcomer and a party-backed incumbent held significant leads for the two remaining at-large seats.

Nina Ahmad — a women’s rights advocate, developer, and former deputy mayor who immigrated to the U.S. from Bangladesh — won a fourth nomination on Wednesday evening. Councilmember Jimmy Harrity held on to the fifth slot with more than 4,500 votes over the next candidate behind him, but his victory has not yet been formally clinched.

The five nominees are all but guaranteed to prevail in the November election, given the city’s heavily blue electorate. If those standings hold, it would add to a big night for the Democratic establishment, whose favorite candidates largely prevailed in the heated races up and down the ballot.

Amid extraordinary turnover on Council, with resignations and retirements creating a power vacuum in the city’s 17-member legislative body, observers viewed the race as key to altering the power balance in City Hall next year alongside the next mayor.

The at-large Council race became an ideological melee between the progressive and moderate factions of the Democratic Party, though the five apparent victors didn’t fall neatly into either ideological camp.

Millions in outside spending poured into the crowded Council primary in the final days, with real estate industry players financing a slate of candidates they hoped would bring a more business-friendly posture back to Council after years of clashing with progressive lawmakers over such issues as development and affordable housing. Meanwhile, progressive groups backed their own slate, hoping to build on the leftward momentum that helped to pass landmark laws around worker protections, tenants rights, and police accountability.

The candidates leading as of early Wednesday morning were more closely aligned with the Democratic City Committee than the business or progressive wings. The party, which has been clobbered by progressive insurgents in recent years, backed a wider range of candidates in this year’s at-large contest.

Thomas, 38, and Gilmore Richardson, 39, became the first millennials elected to the legislature in 2019, and both have staked claim as party insiders who hold appeal with both left-leaning progressive groups and more moderate business interests.

“I’m humbled by this victory and looking forward to another term,” Thomas said.

Landau, 54, the former director of the City’s Fair Housing Commission and Commission on Human Relations, ran on a progressive platform that focused on affordable housing and investing in libraries and recreation centers. In her victory speech, she emphasized the significance of being the first out lawmaker, while paying homage to previous Council members who kept their sexuality hidden while in office.

“This feels so great that we’ve actually made it to a point where openly LGBTQ people can run for office and get into office,” Landau said.

Ahmad, 64, one of three candidates recommended but not officially endorsed by the Democratic party, built a coalition of labor unions, elected officials, and activist groups. She heavily self-financed her campaign using her real estate fortune — as she did with two ill-fated races for statewide office in 2018 and 2020.

“I am so proud of the broad coalition we built across the city,” Ahmad said. “It’s a long way to come for a young woman from Bangladesh to find an opportunity for a better life, and now represent the City that has been so good to me. It’s a lesson for anyone who may look a little different and talk a little differently — just know that your voice can be heard.”

Harrity, 54, a former aide to State Sen. Sharif Street and a popular personality in the Democratic Party, was first elected just six months ago after party leaders tapped him to fill a vacancy through a special election. (Harrity did not appear to declare victory as of Wednesday and did not respond to a request for comment.)

Harrity held more than 4,500 votes more than the sixth place candidate, former City Hall staffer Eryn Santamoor, followed by progressive political activist Amanda McIllmurray.

On the Republican ticket, four of the party’s five endorsed candidates — Drew Murray, Frank Cristinzio, Jim Hasher, and Gary Grisafi — secured nominations in the six-way race Wednesday morning. Mary Jane Kelly, also backed by the party, appeared poised to win the fifth Republican nomination. Sam Oropeza, who didn’t have the party’s backing, conceded Wednesday afternoon.

While Democratic nominees are likely shoo-ins in the general election, the five Republican winners will run against tough competition from the progressive Working Families Party for control of the two-large seats reserved for minority parties. The left-leaning party already clawed away one of those seats with the historic election of Councilmember Kendra Brooks in 2019. Brooks seeks another term this fall alongside running mate Nicolas O’Rourke, a pastor and social justice activist.