Amen Brown is facing two primary challengers for his state House seat — and they’re all putting up a fight

One of the most competitive primary election races in the Pennsylvania state House this year is a three-way rematch for a West Philadelphia-based seat.

Democratic State Rep. Amen Brown, a former mayoral candidate, is being challenged by community organizers Cass Green and Sajda “Purple” Blackwell, who also both ran against him in 2022. And all of them are better prepared to put up a fight in the April 23 primary.

The primary race in the 10th state House District is the latest example of progressives’ effort in recent years to amass power in the state House by challenging more moderate Democrats in primary races. Brown held onto his seat by less than 200 votes two years ago against Green and Blackwell, but has faced criticism for aligning himself with Republican interests on some issues like school choice.

Green is a progressive and community organizer who came close to beating Brown two years ago. Blackwell says she does not fit easily into the progressive or moderate camps, but broadly supports Democratic values. She has long been active in her neighborhood, and is a member of a politically prominent family.

Brown and Green, who both have substantial financial backing, are considered the front-runners. But Blackwell — especially with her family’s name recognition — has the opportunity to pull votes from either candidate. And she’s attacking both Brown and Green, claiming they are both out of touch with the community.

Brown, 36, is a two-term incumbent with an independent streak — including support of creating an attorney general-appointed special prosecutor for SEPTA and using public funds to send students to private schools, in addition to his support for traditional Democratic issues. For this, he’s received support from some Republicans, including Jeff Yass, Pennsylvania’s richest man.

“I pride myself on being a relationship builder in Harrisburg, whether it’s on the other side of the aisle with different industries, with different elected officials, different organizations,” Brown said.

Brown has also been subject to multiple attempts to remove him from the ballot for disregarding election laws — including this year — and has been repeatedly accused of legal and financial misconduct over the last decade that he said has been part of a “smear campaign” against him.

In 2022, Brown won by 183 votes in a newly redrawn district, and he said he’s confident he’ll win by a larger margin this year.

“I had very little time to win the hearts of the new people,” Brown said of the last election. “But if you go on any city street in my district and ask a random person who I am and have I impacted your life in a positive way? They’ll tell you ‘Yes,’” he said.

Brown maintains the support of top House Democrats, including House Speaker Joanna McClinton (D., Philadelphia) and Majority Leader Matt Bradford (D., Montgomery), despite facing criticism from others in his party, including during his unsuccessful mayoral run last year.

“‘He’s not a real Democrat, he’s not this.’ Come on now. I work hard for my people,” Brown said. “Look at all these Democrats who support me ... If I was doing something wrong, trust and believe that none of those folks [would support me].”

The state House has a one-seat Democratic majority, so every vote counts. Blackwell cited rumors that Brown would consider changing his party during a Tuesday meeting with The Inquirer’s Editorial Board. But Brown said he would not change his party.

The West Philly native and gun violence survivor said he has unfinished business to complete, such as codifying an end to a $5 medical services co-pay for incarcerated people, which the Department of Corrections stopped charging in 2021 after Brown inquired about it.

“It is very unfortunate that people don’t really understand what it takes to be a leader and to be an actual legislator,” Brown told The Inquirer Editorial Board. “In these last few years, I’ve done a lot of growing up and learned a lot in my experiences.”

Green, 64, is a progressive Democrat who has the backing of District Attorney Larry Krasner, State Sen. Nikil Saval, and City Councilmember Jamie Gauthier. She has been working as a community organizer and artist in Mill Creek and across the city on large-scale projects for 20 years, most recently in Krasner’s office on juvenile diversion and restorative justice projects. This work “sealed the deal” for her to run again, so she could fight at the state level for criminal justice reform, she said.

She said increasing affordable housing and further investment in fixing the multi-generational issues in the criminal justice system are among her top priorities.

Brown’s support for school vouchers or the creation of a special prosecutor role for crimes committed on SEPTA served as a motivator to challenge him, Green added. After coming so close to winning the district last time, she decided to try again.

“This is an important year for progress,” Green said. “Bringing coalition together can sometimes be messy, but the work is worth it, and there are solutions and great opportunities ahead of us.”

Green has received the endorsements of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, the Working Families Party and the SEIU Pennsylvania State Council.

Blackwell, 47, is from the prominent Blackwell family that has held elected office and has been doing volunteer work in the West Philly community for decades. She and her husband Thomas “Tommy” Blackwell VI co-founded the Blackwell Culture Alliance Inc., which hosts biweekly food distributions. She also runs an active town watch group, and said she chose to run again after her neighbors asked her to.

“I am running because my people every other Saturday when I’m out there on that corner are constantly needing resources, and I am the only one helping them — without a seat,” Blackwell said. “And they know if I had a greater position, if I had the resources that a state representative could bring, I will be able to help all of my neighbors in the 10th District have a better quality of life.”

Blackwell is endorsed by former mayoral candidate Jeff Brown, Philadelphia Sheriff Rochelle Bilal, and author Jamila T. Davis.

Blackwell wants to create new programs to fight poverty and gun violence in the district, such as requiring financial literacy classes in Pennsylvania schools. She also wants to help private schools advertise available scholarships, instead of using public funds to send students from poor areas to private schools.