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President Joe Biden and V.P. Kamala Harris endorse Democrat Cherelle Parker for Philly mayor

Biden and Harris said in a joint statement that Parker’s “record of success, qualifications, experience, and grit are unmatched.”

Democratic candidate for mayor Cherelle Parker is interviewed by the Inquirer at her campaign office in September. She was endorsed this week by President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Democratic candidate for mayor Cherelle Parker is interviewed by the Inquirer at her campaign office in September. She was endorsed this week by President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.Read moreTom Gralish / Staff Photographer

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris endorsed Democratic mayoral nominee Cherelle Parker on Thursday.

It’s not a huge surprise that the heads of the Democratic party endorsed Parker, a former City Council member and party insider. She is heavily favored to prevail in Tuesday’s general election over Republican nominee David Oh, given Democrats hold a nearly 7-1 voter registration advantage in the city.

Biden and Harris said in a joint statement that Parker’s “record of success, qualifications, experience, and grit are unmatched.”

“She is the best candidate to lead the city on day one, and she is the right person to meet this moment for Philadelphia,” they said.

In a statement, Parker recalled hosting Harris outside her East Mount Airy home in September 2020, less than two months before that year’s presidential election. It was the first stop Harris made in Pennsylvania after becoming the first Black woman, the first woman of Indian descent, and the fourth woman to ever be nominated for national office by a major party.

Parker would be the city’s 100th mayor and the first woman to hold the job in city history.

“This huge endorsement speaks to the close connection that Philadelphia has — and will have — with President Biden and Vice President Harris,” Parker said, “in ways that will serve to make Philadelphia the safest, cleanest and greenest big city in America with economic opportunity for all.”