Philly politicos predict City Council shakeups, Fetterman’s downfall, and Shapiro’s 2028 slogan

With their plates overflowing with fried chicken and pastrami sandwiches, Philadelphia Democrats on Tuesday gabbed at their biannual election day lunch events, which are hotspots for candidate appearances and gossip trading.

Inquirer reporters were there, too, chatting with politicos at South Restaurant and Jazz Club on North Broad Street and Famous 4th Street Deli in Queen Village. We continued our tradition of asking attendees three questions about the state of politics.

This time, we asked:

Here’s what Philly’s politicos had to say.

Every City Council seat will be on the ballot next year, and all 17 members have said that they are running for reelection. We’ll see how many of them end up on the ballot — we’ve reported that one member is up for a different job.

So on Tuesday, we asked: give us a number. How many survive?

The incumbents themselves mostly said 17. That includes Council President Kenyatta Johnson, who confidently predicted “all of us,” and Councilmembers Jim Harrity and Jeffery Young, Jr., who each said they’re hoping for 17. Even Jamie Gauthier, a progressive Council member who may be asked by left-leaning challengers to support their bids against her colleagues, said 17.

Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, a former Council member herself, said that every incumbent will win reelection.

» READ MORE: Three Philly City Council districts emerge as key battlegrounds in the 2027 election

Notably, State Rep. Morgan Cephas also said she sees all 17 Council members being reelected. She’s been floated as a potential successor to Councilmember Curtis Jones Jr., a longtime member who has been encouraged by some in the party to consider stepping aside.

Kellan White, a Democratic operative rumored to be considering a run for Council’s 5th District, said “no more than 16.” How coy.

Ryan Boyer, the head of the Building and Construction Trades Council, predicted two members will be ousted, but when pressed, he wouldn’t name them. “I’m a pro,” he said. And T.J. Lepera, the political director for the powerful electricians union, said 16 members.

» READ MORE: Philly’s progressive left is plotting a City Council takeover in 2027

Leftists were more bullish about seeing new faces on Council as their allies plot a takeover.

State Sen. Nikil Saval, who has long been aligned with the city’s progressive faction, predicted only 12 or 13 Council incumbents will be reelected. And State Rep. Ben Waxman, who has been aligned with both progressives and establishment Democrats, said 13.

Perhaps the boldest prediction for the next City Council came from longtime strategist Neil Oxman. He predicted only 11 incumbents would win next year.

We also asked Democrats to tell us which two members of their party would finish at the top of the primary for U.S. Senate in 2028 when incumbent U.S. Sen. John Fetterman is up for reelection.

Fetterman has not yet said whether he intends to seek another term, but he has angered members of his own party and been not-so-secretly courted by the GOP. That means there’s likely to be a competitive primary for Fetterman’s seat.

» READ MORE: Fetterman has accomplished little legislatively and increasingly votes with GOP

We thought the answers to our question would be revealing, because it would show us who the party’s power brokers think will run in addition to Fetterman. But few of the Democrats we talked to on Tuesday named Fetterman at all.

“Anybody but Fetterman,” Boyer said.

“Fetterman won’t be one of the two,” added State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, of North Philadelphia.

“Oh my god, goodbye,” Gauthier said. “We need somebody who stands for everything that Fetterman doesn’t.”

The most common answer we heard was U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio, of western Pennsylvania, who has been positioning himself for a run and told The Inquirer that he’s considering a bid for Fetterman’s seat.

White said he sees the top two finishers in a primary race being Deluzio and U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean. Oxman said Dean and former U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb, who lost to Fetterman in the 2022 primary.

Cephas said Kenyatta, who also lost to Fetterman in the primary, and U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, a progressive favorite from Pittsburgh.

And State Sen. Anthony Williams, who was reelected Tuesday for what he’s said is his last term, floated his longtime ally Speaker Joanna McClinton for the job, saying she “certainly would be a viable candidate.”

Both Waxman and State Sen. Sharif Street, of North Philadelphia, said the top two finishers would include one candidate from western Pennsylvania and one from the eastern part of the state.

State Sen. Vincent Hughes predicted “the field will be broad,” which he said could benefit Fetterman if he decides to run again.

Several of the elected officials said they would like to see U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle, who represents a large swath of Philadelphia in Congress, run for the seat. However, Boyle told The Inquirer Wednesday he won’t seek it, and will instead stay in the House, where he’s in line to chair the powerful Budget Committee.

We wanted the politicos to tap into their creative side and tell us what they think Shapiro’s presidential campaign slogan would be. The governor has, of course, not said he is running for president. But most insiders see him as a strong prospect.

We had one rule on the slogans: you can’t pick Shapiro’s oft-used mantra “get s— done,” or the version he uses in family settings, “get stuff done.” Too predictable!

Of course, there were variations. White said “get more s— done.” Lepera offered “got s— done.” Cephas said: “I did s—.” We’ll allow it.

Some played on the idea that it’s time to move on from President Donald Trump. “Make America America Again,” Gauthier said. Boyer likes: “Bringing sanity back.” Harrity went with a simple: “I’m not Trump.”

» READ MORE: Gov. Josh Shapiro cruised to reelection in Pennsylvania. Now the real campaign begins.

Others were a little more esoteric.

“A democracy, renewed,” said State Rep.-elect Chris Johnson. Vik Patel, a City Council candidate, suggested “Building a better America.” Saval’s idea — “Fight the power” — sounds a bit more like his own slogan than Shapiro’s.

And some just dodged. “I don’t have a creative bone in my body,” Parker said. (So much for “One America, a united country.”)

Of course, District Attorney Larry Krasner, a progressive who has clashed with Shapiro in the past, seized on the opportunity to needle the governor. He said Shapiro should consider “beige is beautiful,” essentially calling him boring.

Or, simply, Krasner suggested: “More of the same.”