The winners and losers of this Philly election season | 100th Mayor Newsletter
And we’ll tell you who was behind Cherelle Parker’s winning campaign and dive into turnout numbers.
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A very wise man once said: “Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.”
Here we are, at what can only be described as closing time for the 2023 Philadelphia mayor’s race. In today’s newsletter, we’ll talk about who’s stock is up, tell you who was behind Cherelle Parker’s winning campaign, and dive into turnout numbers.
There’s something else you should know. Since the race to become Philly’s 100th mayor is now officially over, today’s newsletter will be our last 😔 We’ve really enjoyed bringing news and analysis (and bad jokes) to you, from the chaotic primary season to the history-making results. We hope you liked it, too.
Keep in touch! We want to hear your feedback, ideas, and tips as we shift to covering the Parker administration. You can reach Anna at aorso@inquirer.com and Sean at swalsh@inquirer.com.
Thank you so much for reading and subscribing. Let’s get into it one last time.
— Anna Orso and Sean Collins Walsh
Who gained clout this election (and who lost it)
Yes, Cherelle Parker was a winner, but that was expected. Here’s a look at at who else had a good night — and who had a not-so-great one.
Stock up
📈 Democrats, in general: Democrats across the state have reason to celebrate. They won the marquee state Supreme Court race, and swept school board and county commissioner contests that were hotly contested. The results showed how the GOP has yet to find a way to rebut attacks against them on abortion rights, which took center stage in several key races. While not a great comparison for the 2024 presidential race, the outcome is still a promising sign for the party, which needs Pennsylvania to reelect President Joe Biden next year.
📈 The Working Families Party: The progressive third party cemented its status as a real political force in Philadelphia by showing that Councilmember Kendra Brooks’ historic 2019 victory was no fluke. She won reelection and will be joined by Nicolas O’Rourke, so the Working Families Party will hold both seats on Council that are effectively reserved for non-Democrats. It turns out that in Philadelphia, running on a message of kicking the GOP out of City Hall resonates.
📈 Ryan Boyer: The 2023 mayoral and Council races were the first major city elections since Boyer replaced “Johnny Doc” as head of the politically powerful building trades unions. He went all in on Parker’s campaign, investing millions in campaign cash as well as a considerable amount of political capital. A defeat for Parker could have been disastrous for Boyer so early in his tenure. Instead, he’s the chair of the next mayor’s transition committee. Not bad.
📈 Charter school operators: During the Kenney era, charter school growth ground to a halt and the teachers union wielded significant clout in City Hall. But things are looking up for fans of “school choice.” The likely next Council president, Kenyatta Johnson, is seen as pro-charter. And Parker has been using talking points that imply she’ll have a more friendly posture toward charters, including during her victory speech.
Stock down
📉 The Philly GOP: David Oh did better than any other Republican mayoral candidate in 20 years, but he still only won 25% of the vote. That was just the beginning of the Philly GOP’s woes. The party is reeling after the unprecedented loss to the Working Families Party, with the losing candidates saying things like: “This could be the end” and “I think the Republican Party may be in big trouble.” Now, only one Republican remains in Council: Brian O’Neill, who won reelection (his 12th term!) over a Democratic challenger. We’ll be watching to see how the city’s Republicans move on from here.
📉 Bob Brady and the establishment: The Working Families Party’s victory in the Council race didn’t look good for the Democratic City Committee chair, who had threatened consequences for party members who didn’t support the full Democratic ticket, i.e. helped the Working Families candidates. But it’s not all bad for Bob: Parker’s ascension to the mayor’s office is good news for his brand of politics. And he made it clear in the waning days of the primary that he supported her.
Ever wonder about the people who make a mayor? Just as political candidates can’t win races alone, the mayor can’t govern the city herself. Two of the officials likely to lead her administration were also her right-hand aides through the campaign.
Meet Sinceré Harris and Aren Platt, the architects of her campaign. Here are a couple tidbits about them:
Both are Mount Airy natives and share Parker’s centrist political leanings. They also both have an issue with people who move out of the city. “I will never live in the suburbs,” Harris said. “I feel like we’re the best city, hands down.”
Platt, who we describe as the hipster dad of political consultants, has worked on state and congressional campaigns with a specialty in fundraising. He’s known Parker for about a decade, and helped her navigate the aftermath of her 2011 DUI arrest.
Harris, a history buff who calls herself “old school,” has worked on campaigns for the likes of former Mayor Michael Nutter, ex-Gov. Tom Wolf, and former President Barack Obama. She was the head of the state Democratic Party, and worked in Biden’s White House before coming home to run Parker’s campaign.
Parker hasn’t yet decided what titles Platt or Harris will have in her administration, but they will be at the top, potentially as chief of staff and deputy mayor.
💥 The key takeaway: Parker has kept a tight inner circle, and Harris and Platt are part of almost every major decision. They’re going to play a big role in implementing her agenda next year. You’re gonna want to get to know them.
Typically this space is reserved for a look back in Philadelphia history. This time, we’re just going to acknowledge the moment we’re in right now.
Parker broke Philadelphia’s mayoral glass ceiling and will always be remembered as the first woman who helmed the city. Being the first will also come with untold challenges that Parker’s predecessors never faced. We talked to female mayors, CEOs, and leadership experts about what those obstacles could look like. Here are four key quotes:
Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, the former mayor of Baltimore, on biases women in leadership face: “Women are judged differently. Black women are judged even harsher. If you’re serious, people think that you’re unhappy. If you’re focusing on the work, you’re not relatable.”
Della Clark, head of The Enterprise Center and cochair of Parker’s transition committee, on how Parker will handle it: “She doesn’t look like the other 99 men, and so she is going to have unfair presumptions about her. But I know she has the personality to overcome it.”
Leslie Richards, the SEPTA general manager who was the first woman to run PennDOT, on the pressure women feel when they’re the first: “I even promised Gov. Wolf that I was going to give the job everything so that he wouldn’t be looked at as the governor who gave a female a shot at that position and it didn’t work out. I felt that pressure with everything that I did.”
Madeline Bell, the CEO of CHOP, on being the first woman in the job: “I felt like I had to do everything faster, smarter, better than my predecessors who were all men. I had to be very, very thoughtful about everything that I did.”
For thoughts from sitting mayors, plus more insight into how bias played out during the campaign, check out our take-out piece.
Philly Democrats took a victory lap after Tuesday’s election, touting that turnout increased. Indeed, 31% of registered voters cast ballots, up 10 percentage points over 2021 and 2 percentage points above 2019.
But here’s the caveat: Turnout didn’t grow as much as it did elsewhere in the state, and the city’s share of the statewide Democratic vote continued on a downward slide. Our colleagues Julia Terruso, Ryan Briggs, and Aseem Shukla dove into the data. Here’s what they learned:
Most of the growth was in wealthier, predominantly white wards. Turnout in majority Black and Hispanic precincts, many of which are lower-income, was 11% lower than four years ago.
Although Democrats outnumber Republicans seven-to-one in Philadelphia and comprise 20% of all the party’s registered voters statewide, the city accounted for under 15% of total Democratic ballots cast in 2023. That’s down from 20% as recently as 2016.
Allegheny County (where Pittsburgh is) has fewer registered voters than Philadelphia, but saw more voters turn out (41% of registered voters cast ballots, up from 33.3% in 2021).
For more on what it all means, dive into the charts with us.
What else we’re reading
Parker delivered a long and passionate victory speech Tuesday, filled with a few Easter eggs you might have missed. We decoded it.
It was Election Day last week, which means we asked a bunch of elected officials and politicos three uncomfortable questions. This time, they were about Mayor Jim Kenney, the presidential race, and prison. See the answers here.
Our colleagues are keeping tabs on the fascinating federal embezzlement trial involving erstwhile labor leader Johnny Doc. You can follow along here for a day-by-day recap of the proceedings.
Scenes from the campaign trail
Here’s a photo of Parker and labor leader Sam Staten Jr. (left) on Election Day when they sat down with journalist Ernest Owens on WURD.
It’s been such a pleasure writing this newsletter, and we’re so grateful to you all for reading and interacting. Thank you for being a part of our story, and here’s to Philadelphia.
— Anna and Sean
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