The Working Families Party chose Philadelphia for its first national convention

The progressive Working Families Party is holding its first national convention next week in Philadelphia, a sign of the party’s growing aspirations — and of Pennsylvania’s critical role in its expansion.

More than 400 people are expected to attend the convention that begins Oct. 6 in Center City, including dozens of Democratic elected officials and several national labor leaders. U.S. Rep. Summer Lee (D., Allegheny) and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, both progressive Democrats, are scheduled to deliver keynote addresses.

The event comes as the Working Families Party is locked in a contentious battle with Republicans for two City Council seats, and could serve to draw attention to its candidates ahead of the Nov. 7 general election. It’s also coming as the party reaches 25 years since its founding in New York, and organizers say they’re bringing together supporters at a critical point in its history.

Nelini Stamp, the party’s director of strategy and partnerships, said the Working Families Party sees the moment as ripe for growth given the attention on next year’s presidential election and the revitalized labor movement.

“We want to be a household name,” she said. “We want our stamp of approval to mean something to multiracial, working-class voters across this country.”

The Working Families Party, which has chapters in 19 states, is something of a hybrid progressive group and political party. It is aligned with prominent labor unions and raises money for and supports Democrats, including President Joe Biden, whom the party backed in 2020.

» READ MORE: Critics are questioning the Working Families Party’s independence as it gains traction in Philly

It often boosts progressives in Democratic primaries with the goal of moving Democrats left, and at times backs candidates running as members of the Working Families Party itself. One of the most prominent is Philadelphia City Councilmember Kendra Brooks, who in 2019 became the first third-party candidate to win a seat on Council in 70 years.

Brooks is up for reelection this year and running alongside the Rev. Nicolas O’Rourke with the hopes of taking a pair of seats on Council that are effectively reserved for non-Democrats.

Stamp said Philadelphia made sense as a host for the party’s first national convention for several reasons, including Brooks’ electoral success. She also said the party played a visible role in the city in 2020, when it hosted a two-day protest-slash-dance-party as election workers counted ballots at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

“We’re used to making history in Philadelphia,” Stamp said, “so why should we stop now?”

The first Working Families Party convention may feel in some ways like a smaller version of the Democratic or Republican national conventions, in that delegates from across the country will vote on internal governance matters like establishing or adjusting rules, organizing committees, and approving state chapters.

But there will be obvious differences, the biggest being that the party is not nominating a national candidate like a presidential contender — typically the most publicized aspect of a political convention.

It also does not have national infrastructure like the Democratic and Republican parties, and there are few registered members compared to the two major parties and more established third parties. The party does not focus on registering members, largely because it doesn’t have its own primaries, and there are just a few dozen registered members of the Working Families Party in Pennsylvania.

Still, the party has close relationships with elected Democrats. Lee said in a statement that the Working Families Party “has elected leaders who are accountable to working people and ready to co-govern with the labor movement and social movements.”

The convention will run for three days and take place at the Sonesta Hotel in Center City.