A tight race to lead the nation’s sixth-largest city unfolded in Philadelphia on Tuesday as voters navigated a crowded field of Democratic candidates in a contest centered on how the fight against gun violence and quality of life issues that make people feel unsafe.
Former city council member Cherelle Parker and former city controller Rebecca Rhynhart face a close race as early votes are counted. The city has just begun counting in-person ballots cast Tuesday, which could change the results.
The race in Philadelphia serves as the latest barometer of how residents in some of the nation’s largest cities hope to emerge from the pandemic, which has raised concerns about crime, poverty and inequality. The results have sometimes been messy in other parts of the country, leading to the defeat of the incumbent mayor of Chicago in February and the ouster of San Francisco’s district attorney last year.
Philadelphia voters will choose between front-runners including former council members Allan Domb, Helen Gym and Parker; Rhynhart; and political outsider and grocer Jeff Brown. They are vying to replace Democratic Mayor Jim Kenney, who is term limited.
Only one Republican, former city council member David Oh, is running. He and the Democratic nominee will face each other on Nov. 7 general election. Since Philadelphia is overwhelmingly Democratic, it is likely that whoever wins the primary will become the next mayor.
The candidates have promised to tackle violence and crime in the city, and address widespread quality-of-life issues, but their plans for getting there differ. The candidate who is able to appeal to their base and appeal to the broadest cross-section of voters will ultimately tip the scales in a tight contest.
Jamie DeAngelis voted Helen Gym after an online quiz and best match on her platform. He said it will be difficult for many in the race, and he predicts that whoever leads the city will face a difficult headwind.
“Especially with the way the Democratic Party is kind of fractured these days, I think there’s a lot of push for anybody to get out the vote,” he said.
James Perelman narrowed down his mayoral candidates to Gym, Parker and Rhynhart, who ultimately voted for Rhynhart. He described that he has plans that best fit his concerns, especially what he sees as necessary to address gun violence and improve the city’s public schools. He also felt his background suited him for handling any potential economic downturn.
“But it’s still hard,” he said. “I think myself and I think a lot of Philadelphians feel … maybe it’s time to consider ranked-choice voting or something where we don’t have a small percentage of the city deciding who’s mayor. .”
Voters on Tuesday will also choose seven of more than 30 overall Democratic and Republican candidates for city council seats and three at-large district seats.
To the west, voters in Allegheny County, which includes the state’s second-largest city of Pittsburgh, will choose six Democratic candidates who will compete to replace the county’s top official, who is term-limited. The winner will face the lone Republican contender in the November general election. Unlike the mayoral race in Philadelphia, the primary winner is not necessarily the person most likely to take over the county executive seat.
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Associated Press video journalist Tassanee Vejpongsa in Philadelphia contributed to this report.
