Philly mayoral debate 2023: Start time, how to watch and stream
The candidates participating are: Amen Brown, Jeff Brown, Allan Domb, Derek Green, Helen Gym, Cherelle Parker, and Rebecca Rhynhart.
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Seven Philadelphia Democrats will take the stage Tuesday evening — 35 days before the city’s May 16 Democratic primary — in the first major televised debate of this year’s mayoral campaign.
The candidates participating are: Amen Brown, Jeff Brown, Allan Domb, Derek Green, Helen Gym, Cherelle Parker, and Rebecca Rhynhart.
Former City Councilmember Maria Quiñones Sánchez, who had also been slated to appear, dropped out after deciding to suspend her campaign over what she described as the “obscene amount of money” in the race.
“There was no way we were going to be able to compete with that money,” Quiñones Sánchez told The Inquirer last week.
There was also some news ahead of the debate. The Philadelphia Board of Ethics sued a super PAC and a nonprofit supporting Brown’s bid on Monday, accusing them of illegally coordinating fundraising efforts that brought in more than $2.4 million.
According to conventional wisdom, candidates don’t typically win elections with great debate performances, but they can lose voters with major missteps. And it will be easy to tell during debates who everyone thinks the front-runner is, because that’s who gets attacked. In the city’s mayoral race so far, candidates have shared the stage in forums, but this will be the first time they’ve been allowed to interact with one another.
The Inquirer will have live coverage of the debate.
Here’s what you need to know:
What time does the Philadelphia mayoral debate start?
The debate between the seven Democratic candidates is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. and will last 90 minutes.
It will take place at Temple University, moderated by Fox 29 news anchor Jason Martinez. Fox 29′s Shiba Russell will lead a panel during the debate that includes colleagues Thomas Drayton and Jeff Cole, and Fox 29 reporter Shawnette Wilson will ask the candidates questions provided by a live studio audience of students and local community members.
Where can I watch the debate?
The debate will be telecast on Fox 29.
The debate will be live streamed on Fox 29.com, Fox 29′s YouTube channel, and the Fox-owned Tubi free streaming service.
Who are the candidates?
State Rep. Amen Brown, running as a moderate Democrat, has a tough-on-crime, pro-development platform. At 35, Brown is the youngest candidate in the race.
Businessman Jeff Brown, the longtime ShopRite proprietor, is running as an anti-politician attempting to become the first outsider mayor in a century.
Former City Councilmember Allan Domb, a real estate magnate known as the “condo king” with a vast portfolio of properties in Center City, has leaned hard on his business acumen in his pitch to Philadelphia voters.
Former City Councilmember Derek Green, running as a moderate Democrat, has a tough-on-crime and business-friendly platform. His campaign has struggled to gain traction.
Former City Councilmember Helen Gym, who has evolved from a teacher into a school board protester into a leader of the city’s social justice movement, now is a mayoral candidate running as a “tough Philly mom.”
Former City Councilmember Cherelle Parker is running for mayor with a mission to help preserve the “village” that raised her and other neighborhoods like it.
Former City Controller Rebecca Rhynhart, first elected as a political outsider, is now running to lead the government she spent the last five years auditing.
» READ MORE: Your no-nonsense guide to the May 2023 Democratic primary for mayor, Council, and row offices