Seven Democrats tried to replace Darrell Clarke on City Council. Only one made the ballot.

The Democratic primary for Philadelphia City Council’s 5th District has a presumptive early winner. Jeffery “Jay” Young emerged Thursday as the only candidate to survive a bruising series of legal challenges.

Seven Democrats had sought to run for the seat after Council President Darrell L. Clarke’s announcement last month that he would retire after more than two decades representing the district.

Clarke made his decision less than two weeks before candidates had to file paperwork to appear on the May 16 primary ballot, adding a tight timeline to the crowded race.

The 5th District stretches from the western side of Center City up though North Philadelphia to Temple University’s campus and then up to Hunting Park.

The open seat set off a proxy war between Clarke and State Sen. Sharif Street — but each of their preferred candidates was kicked off the ballot this week.

Clarke wanted his chief of staff, Curtis Wilkerson, as his successor. Wilkerson was removed from the ballot Wednesday after a legal challenge questioned the validity of his nomination petitions.

Street wanted his deputy chief of staff, Aissia Richardson, for the seat, which was once held by Street’s father, former Mayor John Street. She was removed from the ballot Thursday for not having enough valid signatures on her petitions.

Young, an attorney who also worked for Clarke as a staffer in City Hall, was still coming to grips Thursday afternoon with his good fortune.

“Everything unfolded so quickly I haven’t had time to process,” Young said in a statement, “but I’m excited for what’s to come.”

Attorney Kevin Greenberg, who represented Richardson and filed legal challenges against the other six candidates, on Thursday dropped his challenge to Young. That had been scheduled for a hearing Friday.

Greenberg said the crowded field, combined with a delay as would-be candidates waited for Clarke to announce if he would retire, made it difficult to collect the necessary minimum of 750 signatures from registered Democrats eligible to vote in the district.

“There were too many people trying to get too many signatures in a very short window because everyone was waiting for the Council president to make his decision,” said Greenberg, who won five of the six legal challenges he filed.

Patrick Griffin, an attorney, was also removed from the Democratic ballot Thursday due to troubles with his nomination petitions.

Greenberg, who lives in the district, praised Young for getting his petitions right.

“Jay was a great Council staffer,” he said. “I’m looking forward to him being my Council member.”

No Republican candidate filed as a candidate this year in the 5th District, an overwhelmingly Democratic swath of the city.

The names of candidates can still be written in during the May 16 primary and Nov. 7 general election, and third-party candidates can circulate nomination petitions until Aug. 1 to be listed on the November ballot.

But the city’s Democratic Party just dodged the prospect of an open write-in primary campaign for a coveted City Council seat.

The 5th District emerged as the most competitive seat on Council after Clarke finally announced that he would not seek another term.

Former State Rep. Jose “JP” Miranda was the first candidate in that race to withdraw from the ballot last week. Miranda pleaded guilty to felony and misdemeanor corruption charges in 2015, raising questions about whether he was eligible to serve in public office.

Isa Matin was served with a legal challenge last week at the gathering where candidates drew ballot positions, but then dropped it on the floor and stormed out. He withdrew from the race Monday.

Jon Hankins, who called himself “an established entrepreneur in the fashion industry,” was removed from the ballot Monday.