The Inquirer’s 2023 General Election Endorsement Guide

After a string of 99 men running City Hall with varying degrees of success and failure, Cherelle Parker is poised to make history Tuesday as the first woman elected mayor of Philadelphia.

If Parker shatters that glass ceiling, she will inherit a city facing many thorny issues, namely high crime, troubled schools, and onerous taxes. That calamitous combination largely explains why Philadelphia lost more than a quarter of its population since 1950 and earned the ignominious title of the poorest big city in America.

All the mayoral men who preceded Parker implemented plans to address the city’s problems. Some exacerbated them (see Frank Rizzo), while others transformed the city (see Ed Rendell).

It is probably too much to expect Parker to solve Philadelphia’s most vexing challenges in one or two terms. But the good news is that she grasps how the problems of crime, failing schools, and high taxes are intertwined and stunt the city, compounding poverty and inequality.

Read The Inquirer’s full endorsement of Cherelle Parker.

For better and worse, little has changed in nearly half a century when it comes to city politics in the Far Northeast.

City Councilmember Brian J. O’Neill has represented the 10th District for 43 years. When he was elected, Jimmy Carter was president, a dozen eggs cost 86 cents, Liberty Place had not been built, and Veterans Stadium was still standing.

O’Neill, 73, is the only Republican councilmember. He is up for reelection on Nov. 7 and faces a well-financed challenger in Democrat Gary Masino, the head of Sheet Metal Workers Local 19.

While the Republican brand may be tarnished beyond repair, O’Neill is a moderate who is far removed from the MAGA extremists at the state and federal levels. However, the GOP may lose all three seats it once controlled on Council, as other parties take spots reserved for non-Democrats, underscoring the need to cultivate competitive new voices.

Until fresh faces are found, The Inquirer endorses Brian J. O’Neill as the best choice for City Council in the 10th District.

Read The Inquirer’s full endorsement of Brian J. O’Neill.

The millions of dollars pouring in to influence who wins a seat on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court underscores the need to do away with the unseemly process of electing judges. But until that system is changed, voters must decide which sitting judge should be elevated to the highest court in the commonwealth.

The two candidates on the Nov. 7 ballot are Republican Carolyn Carluccio and Democrat Daniel D. McCaffery. The winner will fill the vacancy on the seven-member court left by Chief Justice Max Baer, a Democrat, who died of a heart attack last October.

This is not a difficult decision — especially since such issues as abortion and voting rights are also essentially on the ballot. The Inquirer recommends Daniel D. McCaffery for the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

Read The Inquirer’s full endorsement of Daniel D. McCaffery.

Divisive issues roiling national politics have sadly crept into the once bland county commissioner races in the Philadelphia suburbs, making two races, in particular, worth watching on Nov. 7.

In Montgomery County, outsider Neil Makhija upset the careful planning of the Democratic Party machine by winning a contested primary last spring without party backing. Meanwhile, Bucks County is a bellwether that has attracted national attention because of its swing voters, who could help shape the outcome of the 2024 presidential election, and because of the culture wars that have upended Republican-controlled school boards.

In both county commissioner races, four candidates are running for three seats, and voters can pick two. In Montgomery County, The Inquirer recommends Neil Makhija and Jamila Winder for the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners.

Makhija and Winder are Democrats who have formed a strong working relationship. More importantly, their leadership is needed because commissioners oversee the administration of elections.

Read The Inquirer’s full endorsement of Jamila Winder and Neil Makhija.

Divisive issues roiling national politics have sadly crept into the once bland county commissioner races in the Philadelphia suburbs, making two races, in particular, worth watching on Nov. 7.

In Bucks County, the choice for commissioners is an easy call based on the incumbents’ track record. The Inquirer recommends Democrats Bob Harvie and Diane Marseglia. Republicans Gene DiGirolamo and Pamela Van Blunk did not respond to repeated requests to meet with the Editorial Board.

Marseglia, a social worker, has been a commissioner since 2008, mostly as the minority representative. Harvie, a Bucks County native who taught in the public schools there for many years, was elected in 2019, giving the Democrats majority control for the first time in 40 years.

Read The Inquirer’s full endorsement of Diane Marseglia and Bob Harvie.

This election cycle has featured a host of capable candidates vying for at-large seats on City Council. After the primary in May, the field was whittled down to nine remaining contenders who are competing for seven spots, out of which voters must select five.

The top two vote-getters among non-Democrats will claim the remaining two positions.

Philadelphia is a diverse city that deserves a collection of truly diverse voices to craft its laws. Nina Ahmad, Rue Landau, Drew Murray, Katherine Gilmore Richardson, and Isaiah Thomas have earned this board’s endorsement for at-large seats on City Council — and deserve voters’ support.

Read The Inquirer’s full endorsement of Nina Ahmad, Rue Landau, Drew Murray, Katherine Gilmore Richardson, and Isaiah Thomas.

Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Court is an uncommon institution. It has nine members, meets in Harrisburg, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh, and is specifically designed to handle cases that intersect with state agencies. It often oversees election law cases and even occasionally serves as a trial court. As a result, it requires judges with extensive experience and judicial know-how.

Judge Matt Wolf, the Democrat in the race, is well-suited to the demands of the court.

A civil rights trial lawyer for more than 25 years, his public service didn’t begin when he was elected in 2017 to Philadelphia’s Municipal Court. Wolf is an Army veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan as part of the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps, and still serves with the Pennsylvania National Guard.

Even keeled and mild-mannered, Wolf brings a refreshing humility to the bench. As he told this board, how you are treated changes once you become a judge. “You become funnier,” he said. “All of a sudden, everybody laughs at what you say. And some judges don’t understand that.” This awareness of the importance of keeping your ego in check is essential to avoiding poor and imperious decision-making.

Read The Inquirer’s full endorsement of Matt Wolf.