Michael Nutter for mayor, again? The former Philly mayor hasn’t ruled it out, sources say.
The former mayor hasn't ruled out running again, according to sources familiar with his thinking. But he also hasn't taken any steps toward forming a campaign.
As Philadelphia’s 2023 mayoral field has solidified without a clear front-runner, some in the city’s business and civic community have tried to draft a familiar face: former Mayor Michael Nutter.
The two-term mayor who served before current Mayor Jim Kenney has taken calls for months from some in the city’s Democratic donor and political class who have asked him to consider seeking his old office. Sources familiar with the conversations said Nutter has told them that he’d think about it.
But with the May 16 primary election less than five months away, Nutter, 65, has not taken formal steps toward forming a campaign. He does not appear to be soliciting donors or building a staff, and sources familiar with his thinking said he has not commissioned a poll or otherwise tested his popularity vs. other candidates.
Asked Tuesday if he’s considering a run, Nutter declined to comment.
An ex-mayor’s entry into the race would represent a seismic shake-up of the 2023 campaign to succeed Kenney, who is term-limited. Nine Democrats seen as viable candidates have entered the race, including a handful of former City Council members and ex-officeholders, but none would have the name-recognition advantage of a former mayor.
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Under the city’s Home Rule Charter, mayors can’t serve more than two successive terms, but they may leave office for a term or longer and then be elected and reelected mayor.
It’s rarely been tried. Former Mayor Frank Rizzo ran for a third term in 1991 as a Republican after serving as a Democratic mayor for two terms in the 1970s. He won the primary but died before the general election. Years later, in 2013, a handful of donors tried to draft Ed Rendell to run for mayor again in 2015 after he served two terms and then was governor. He didn’t get in.
While Nutter has at times clashed with Kenney, he has generally avoided weighing in publicly on how the 2023 mayor’s race is shaping up, and he has not endorsed a candidate.
In July, he wrote an op-ed in The Inquirer about the traits the next mayor should possess, saying: “We deserve better, Philadelphia, and next year is your chance to have your voice heard. Let’s elect a leader who can govern.” And last month, the news website the Philadelphia Citizen launched a podcast featuring Nutter that’s titled How To Really Run a City.
Nutter has also recently touted his public safety record, pointing out in a scathing critique of District Attorney Larry Krasner last year that Philadelphia saw its lowest number of homicides in decades in 2013, when he was mayor. But his time in office was also marred by a tanking economy, massive budget cuts, a strained relationship with the city’s municipal unions, and clashes with City Council.
Still, he would be a formidable candidate and some have theorized that a candidate with high name recognition could clear the large field.
Mustafa Rashed, a Philadelphia-based lobbyist and political consultant, said he isn’t surprised Nutter or anyone else is contemplating getting in the race given a clear front-runner has yet to emerge, saying, “A large field is contagious.”
And he said it isn’t too late to shake up the race. When Kenney ran for the office for the first time in 2015, he didn’t enter the race until February.
“The dynamics of the race lead to the conclusion that it’s not too late,” Rashed said. “It’s not that hard to play catch-up in a race that has no predetermined favorites.”