She’s your next mayor | Morning Newsletter
And progressives poised for an unprecedented victory
The Morning Newsletter
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You’re waking up to a sunny day with a high of 53. ☀️
It’s official:
Cherelle Parker broke the glass ceiling and will be Philadelphia’s first female mayor. She’ll become the city’s 100th mayor when her four-year term begins in January.
Our lead story recaps her night of victory.
— Taylor Allen (@TayImanAllen, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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Democrat Cherelle Parker defeated Republican David Oh to become Philly’s 100th mayor.
Parker, the first woman to win the top job, recognized the historic nature of her campaign by thanking the women who blazed a trail for her in city politics.
In her own words: “I’m only here today because those women decided I was worthy enough to sit at their feet and learn,” Parker said. “So anyone who’s watching today, you need to know I don’t arrive here by myself. I didn’t pull myself up by my bootstraps. There was a community and a village of people who lifted me up.”
Parker has promised to crack down on crime, offer year-round school, support small business, and make Philadelphia a “safer, cleaner, green city.”
Continue reading for an overview of her rise.
Working Families Party candidates Kendra Brooks and Nicolas O’Rourke appear to have scored an unprecedented victory for progressives.
The Associated Press said incumbent Brooks won reelection. O’Rourke also declared victory but the AP had not declared him a winner as of early this morning.
If both progressives win, that means they ousted Republicans from posts the GOP has held for more than 70 years. The pair of seats on Council represent the city at-large and are effectively reserved for non-Democrats. Council has a total of seven at-large seats, five held by Democrats in a city where they outnumber registered Republicans 7-to-1.
Reminder: Four years ago, Brooks became the first third-party candidate to win a seat in decades.
The apparent defeat of Republican candidates Jim Hasher and Drew Murray would mean that only one Republican — longtime Councilmember Brian O’Neill, who represents Northeast Philly — will sit on the 17-seat legislative body. As of 1 a.m. Wednesday, neither candidate had conceded but Hasher congratulated Brooks and O’Rourke before ending his campaign’s election night event.
Notable quote: “Together we have left the Republican Party to the dustbin of history. The Working Families Party is here to stay,” O’Rourke said in remarks to a raucous crowd gathered at the Roar Nightclub in Fishtown. “Philadelphia said loudly that we do not want or need any more Republican representation, and I could not agree with y’all more.”
This was one of the most closely watched and expensive city races this fall. Here’s a recap of the contentious battle.
What you should know today
Democrats scored a major win as they maintained control of the commissioners boards of Bucks, Montgomery, Chester, and Delaware Counties. Tuesday’s election was a litmus test for Democrats in some of Pennsylvania’s most important bellwether suburbs. The state will be a key battleground in next year’s presidential election.
Democrat Dan McCaffery was elected to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, extending the Democrats’ majority on the state’s highest court. Abortion rights and election integrity took center stage in the expensive race.
Democrats swept the races for Philly sheriff, controller, and register of wills.
Philly Common Pleas Court Judge Anne Marie Coyle will keep her seat for a second 10-year term on the bench, despite a recent controversy over her alleged courtroom behavior.
Democrats Rue Landau and Nina Ahmad made history as Philly City Council’s first LGBTQ and South Asian members.
Tensions ran high on Election Day. There was infighting between Philadelphia’s Democratic Party establishment and progressives with several dustups reported at polling places.
Democrats claimed a sweep of the Central Bucks school board races, taking control from the GOP.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro expressed doubt over Cherelle Parker’s idea to bring the National Guard to Kensington.
New Jersey Democrats kept their majority in the legislature. Also, Republican State Sen. Edward “Ed the Trucker” Durr did not win reelection and lost to Democrat John Burzichelli, a former 10-term Assemblyman and mayor of Paulsboro.
It looks like most of Philly’s registered voters didn’t bother to cast ballots.
The city estimated that the turnout among registered voters was less than 30%. Neither the historic implications of Philly’s mayoral race nor the $20 million spent on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court race appeared to inspire much voter enthusiasm.
Keep reading to find out which topics encouraged some voters to show up.
🧠 Trivia time
Who was Philadelphia’s last Republican mayor?
A) Bernard Samuel
B) Bill Green III
C) James Tate
D) None of the above
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
👀 Watching: Developer Bart Blatstein’s latest apartment proposal is facing backlash from his North Philly neighbors.
💭 Wondering: If we’re in the midst of a student-organizing wave for resident assistants at local colleges.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint:🎄at LOVE Park
GALLICISM HARVEST
We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Email us if you know the answer. Cheers to Kathleen Peters, who correctly guessed Tuesday’s answer: Upper Darby.
Photo of the day
What a night. I’ll be back to give you the latest news tomorrow morning. Catch you next time. 👋🏽