After a packed primary, Cherelle Parker, a former state representative and City Council member who campaigned to hire more police officers, won the Democratic nomination for mayor of Philadelphia on Tuesday night, decisively emerged from a field of contenders vying to be seen as the savior. in a struggling and discouraged city.
If she wins in November, which is certain to happen in a city where Democrats outnumber Republicans by more than seven to one, Ms. Parker will be the city’s 100th mayor, and the first woman to hold the job.
Of the five mayoral hopefuls who led the polls in the last part, Ms. Parker, 50, is the only Black candidate, in a city that is more than 40 percent Black. He drew support from prominent Democratic politicians and trade unions, and throughout the majority Black neighborhoods of north and west Philadelphia. Some have compared him to New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who signaled his willingness to buck the party’s progressives with promises to hire hundreds of police officers and roll back what he called a constitutional stop. -and-frisk.
But he said many of his proposed solutions have roots in Philadelphia’s “middle-class neighborhoods” — working and middle-class areas that have struggled in recent years to stave off decline.
“They know that Cherelle is not involved in what I call ‘I know what’s best for you people’ policy making, but it comes from the bottom,” Ms.
The solutions must come from the community, he said, “not people who think they are coming to save poor people, people who don’t walk in their shoes or live in a neighborhood with high rate of violence and poverty. I lived that.”
His Republican opponent in the November general election is David Oh, a former City Council member.
If Ms. wins. Parker in November, he will lead a city facing many problems, chief among them a surge in gun violence that leaves hundreds dead each year. Philadelphians often describe crime as No. 1 problem in the city, but the list of issues is long, including crumbling school facilities, blighted housing stock, an opioid epidemic and a municipal staffing shortage.
The punishing list of challenges has weakened the current mayor, Jim Kenney, a Democrat whose second term has been marred by Covid-19, citywide protests and a rising homicide rate, and who has been outspoken about in his eagerness to do the work.
The primary to replace Mr. Kenney was fraught from the start and remained so until its final days. Until the last polls, no frontrunner had emerged and five of the candidates seemed to have an equal shot at winning, each representing different constituencies and different parts of the city.
Candidates at the finish line include Rebecca Rhynhart, a former city controller with a technocratic pitch endorsed by several past mayors; Helen Gym, former councilwoman endorsed by Bernie Sanders and various high-profile progressives; Alan Domb, who made millions in real estate and served two terms on the City Council; and Jeff Brown, a grocery store magnate and a novice in electoral politics.
The first days of the race were dominated by TV ads supporting Mr. Brown and Mr. Domb, but other campaigns soon joined the fray and in the last weeks the ad war became more and more combative. SuperPACs spent millions on behalf of various candidates and eventually became an issue of their own, when the Philadelphia Board of Ethics indicted Mr. Brown, who was leading in early polls in the race, illegally coordinated a SuperPAC.
But for all the money and negative campaigning, neither candidate seems to rise above the crowded field for Philadelphians who go about their daily lives.
“People have a choice to be tired,” said State Representative Malcolm Kenyatta, a Democrat, who on Tuesday chatted with candidates and local politicians as they packed a traditional Election Day lunch in the South restaurant and jazz club.
In the last polls before the election, many voters remained undecided, but many of them seemed to have finally broken for Ms. Parker, whose victory was greater than many expected.
The victory of a moderate like Ms. Parker in Philadelphia stands in contrast to some races elsewhere around the state. In Allegheny County, where Pittsburgh is located, progressives scored one primary victory after another on Tuesday, with candidates from the left wing of the Democratic Party winning nominations for a range of top office, including the county executive and district attorney.
Democrats also retained their narrow control of the Pennsylvania House on Tuesday, as Heather Boyd won a special election in southeastern Delaware County. Leading Democrats, including President Biden and Governor Josh Shapiromade a push on race, framing it as essential to protecting reproductive rights in Pennsylvania.
In a separate special election, Republicans held a safe state House seat in north-central Pennsylvania when Michael Stender, a school board member and a firefighter, won his race.
Neil Vigdorand Jon Hurdle contributed reporting.