Philly mayoral candidate Jeff Brown vows ‘I will never let you down’ as his supporters dig in

Jeff Brown and a defiant group of his top supporters are not going down without a fight.

The businessman and first-time political candidate running for Philadelphia mayor spent Wednesday night rallying with his backers at a South Philly union hall, delivering an impassioned speech and vowing to them: “I will never let you down.”

It came after he spent the last week seemingly lashing out in all directions. Brown and his campaign have attacked all of his top opponents, he made multiple false statements during a debate, and his supporters have decried the political establishment and the media as being out to get him.

“The most aggravating thing has been watching people we partnered with, we supported, and we were like family with for decades all turn their backs on Jeff,” Brown’s wife, Sandy, said during the rally. “Jeff may not always use the right words ... but at the end of the day, he knows what needs to be done to fix this city.”

And one of Brown’s top endorsers dug in. Ernest Garrett, president of AFSCME District Council 33, said his union would not rescind its early endorsement despite calls from other union heads to do so.

“If the ship f—ing sinks with Jeff Brown on it, then goddammit, grab two life jackets,” Garrett said.

» READ MORE: Why did the mayoral candidates attack each other for winning union endorsements?

Brown, a longtime ShopRite proprietor who was seen as an early front-runner for the Democratic nomination, may have lost some ground with voters, according to private polls conducted by other campaigns. That comes after multiple attack ads were funded by rival Allan Domb, a real estate magnate and former City Council member who has poured more than $7 million into his own campaign.

It also comes after several weeks of negative headlines about Brown, namely that the city’s Board of Ethics filed a lawsuit earlier this month alleging he illegally coordinated with a super PAC boosting his campaign.

That group, called For a Better Philadelphia, poured more than $3 million into the race to elevate Brown’s profile. But last week, it agreed to halt all spending meant to influence the outcome of the race amid the Board of Ethics’ pending case, meaning Brown lost a crucial group that was communicating his message to voters just three weeks before election day.

» READ MORE: Jeff Brown went on offense at a heated Philly mayoral forum

He has on multiple occasions been criticized for comments on the campaign trail, including a dismissive quip about the city of Chester and environmental racism that drew national attention.

Then, during a Tuesday night debate, he and his campaign made multiple false or misleading statements. Brown claimed the city’s Board of Ethics had settled the lawsuit it filed against For a Better Philadelphia, but the board has not settled, and the case remains pending.

Meanwhile, Brown’s Twitter account during the debate delivered a stream of combative tweets about his opponents, including one claiming that “every member of Council wanted credit for defunding the police,” despite the fact that Council did not defund the department. (In 2020, it voted to cancel a proposed increase.)

And in criticizing his opponents Tuesday, Brown called unions that did not endorse him — specifically, the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers and the Building Trades and Construction Council — “two concerning unions” and said, “I didn’t want even their endorsement.”

The teachers’ union immediately produced evidence that Brown took part in its endorsement process, and Ryan Boyer, the head of the building trades, said Brown “practically begged” for its backing. Boyer called on the unions that have endorsed Brown to drop him.

Brown acknowledged Wednesday that “I put my foot in my mouth sometimes,” and “I might be saying it a little too straight.” And he said his message to the building trades and teachers’ unions is “I stand with them regardless of what they decided.”

“I want to get new people into the middle class,” he said. “That’s what Sandy and I have done for 35 years. We help people that others didn’t want to help: local people, neighborhood people, people with a record, people with disabilities, people of every race and religion.”

The final three weeks of campaigning will test whether Brown can bounce back. Larry Ceisler, a public-affairs consultant and longtime observer of city politics, said Brown likely still has a core base he could build on. He surmised that holding a rally provided an opportunity to film new footage for a television commercial.

“It’s to show momentum,” Ceisler said, “and basically say, ’The hell with the politicians, the hell with the endorsements, the hell with the media, my people are with me.’ Which I think is a solid strategy to use.”

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There was no sign in the room that the organized labor groups that back Brown are reconsidering their support. He touted that he has the endorsement of every major police union in the city, including the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5, which represents Philadelphia police officers, and the Guardian Civic League, an association of Black officers.

The event was held at the union hall run by the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 8, the only member of the Building Trades Council that did not endorse Brown’s rival, Cherelle Parker.

Michael J. Barnes, an international vice president of IATSE, said the union steadfastly supports Brown and his vision for the city, specifically citing his plans to tackle public safety.

Asked about how Brown has handled a rocky few weeks, Barnes said “headlines are for political wonks.”

“I don’t think they matter for regular voters,” he said.