A founder of the progressive Reclaim Philadelphia is eyeing a City Council run against Mark Squilla

A cofounder of the progressive group Reclaim Philadelphia is taking steps toward a run for City Council, setting up a potential 2023 showdown between an incumbent Democrat and a challenger from his left.

Amanda McIllmurray, who was most recently the political director of Reclaim, filed paperwork with the city to run in Council’s 1st District, which encompasses swaths of South Philadelphia, Center City, and the River Wards. She would take on Councilmember Mark Squilla, a three-term Democrat who plans to seek reelection.

McIllmurray, 29, said she’s still in the “exploratory phase” and remains focused on voter turnout for the November general election. But she’s fund-raising and said she’s been meeting with neighborhood leaders, residents, and potential supporters.

“Last summer, a bunch of different community members said, ‘Would you run for this?’” she said. “I felt strongly after a lot of those conversations that this is something I think I would be good at, and would be able to deliver for the communities broadly within the district.”

Squilla, 59, who’s been active in city politics for about 25 years, said he welcomes the challenge and is open to “new ideas and ways they think we can improve the district.”

And in fending off a potential challenge from his left, he said that the district, which stretches from deep South Philly to Kensington, is politically diverse — and that his policy positions have been informed by that reality.

“The argument is I’m not progressive enough for my district, and they believe there would be a more progressive candidate,” he said. “There’s always going to be somebody that doesn’t think you’re doing the right thing. But I think, overall, my record would speak for itself.”

Reclaim has been instrumental in pulling the city’s politics to the left since its founding in 2016 and has racked up a series of electoral success stories. The group, born out of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign, played a critical role in the 2017 election of District Attorney Larry Krasner, among the most well-known progressive prosecutors in the country.

In 2018, McIllmurray managed the insurgent campaign to elect State Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler, a progressive who campaigned on Medicare for All and beat a candidate aligned with the city’s powerful electricians’ union.

Reclaim has also elevated its own members to office, including State Sen. Nikil Saval, who in 2020 won a seat that had been held for decades by the city’s Democratic machine, and State Rep. Rick Krajewski, who the same year ousted an incumbent in West Philadelphia.

The group, which has more than 800 members, endorsed Council candidates in 2019, but McIllmurray would be the first Reclaim member on Council.

» READ MORE: The 2023 Philly City Council campaign is already underway

The city’s legislative body could see its biggest shake-up in recent memory next year. All 17 seats will be on ballots, and there could be as many as a half-dozen open seats. At-large Councilmember Allan Domb resigned last month ahead of an expected run for mayor, and several others are expected to do the same.

That provides a chance for progressives to continue amassing power in City Hall, four years after the rise of a small but influential progressive wing on Council. McIllmurray said her campaign would focus on workers’ rights, public safety, and a plan for “universal family care,” which she said would provide stronger social and financial supports to children, the elderly, and people with disabilities.

She said her progressive organizing and campaign experience means she could mount a serious challenge.

“I’m an organizer, and I’m very dedicated to investing in people’s leadership and putting people on the doors to talk to their neighbors,” McIllmurray said. “That’s the biggest piece of what I see is my path to victory on this. Assuming that I do decide to do this, I will contest for support everywhere.”