‘Are you freaking kidding?’: Little-known candidates get lucky in Philly ballot lottery for May 16 primary

Some made the sign of the cross. Some kissed their children. Some bit their nails. Then they stuck their hands into the “coffee can of destiny” and hoped for the best.

Dozens of candidates for Philadelphia office packed into City Hall on Wednesday for the time-honored — if archaic — election lottery, in which campaigners draw numbered balls from an old Horn & Hardart coffee tin to determine the order in which their names will appear on the ballot.

Depending on whom you ask, the drawing can make or break a campaign — especially in this year’s crowded races for mayor and City Council. Some say snagging a top spot can elevate a little-known candidate into a possible contender, while a low position can bury a promising candidate’s chances.

Wednesday morning, luck sided with the lesser-knowns.

After 28 Democrats drew their numbers in the Council at-large race, the coveted No. 1 spot was the only number left. The crowd looked puzzled. The big winner, chef and Strawberry Mansion resident Derwood Selby, wasn’t anywhere near City Hall at the time of the drawing.

“Are you freaking kidding?” Selby said, when The Inquirer informed him by phone that he drew the first spot. “I’m excited. I don’t even know what to say.”

Retired Philadelphia Police Lt. John Wood drew some shocked looks in the room after drawing the first ballot position in the 12-candidate Democratic primary for mayor. He has not participated in many of the mayoral forums so far and has little name recognition.

“It was the luck of the draw, but I believe in the energy,” Wood told WHYY News after the drawing, predicting it would lend his campaign credibility to get more donations and endorsements. “I believe this is a calling for me and for public safety.”

Meanwhile, powerful incumbents and well-resourced candidates generally drew lower ballot positions. In the packed Democratic race for at-large seats on Council, incumbent Katherine Gilmore Richardson drew the 25th position, while her colleague Isaiah Thomas drew dead last with 29.

“The last shall be first and the first shall be last,” said Gilmore Richardson, quoting from the Gospel of Matthew after the drawing.

Incumbents also drew lower spots in the row-office elections for city controller, sheriff, and register of wills.

“If I didn’t have 1, 3 would have been my next choice,” said former acting City Controller Christy Brady, who pulled No. 3 in her three-candidate Democratic primary for that office. “Vote for me, I’m number 3.”

How much the lottery positions matter in the May 16 primary remains uncertain. Political observers argue that ballot position is far less important in the mayor’s race, where there are fewer candidates and voters often enter the voting booth with their minds made up.

And dozens of candidates are still facing legal challenges that allege problems with their nomination petitions or other procedural violations to get on the primary ballot. Judges will determine in the coming days if those candidates are ineligible. Candidates who drop out of races or are removed by judges would shift the ballot position for competitors.

But in packed races like Council at-large, where voters can nominate five candidates in their party, voters learn much less about each candidate before election day. The 28 candidates for Court of Common Pleas or Municipal Court, who drew their own ballot positions in Harrisburg on Wednesday, have even less reach with voters.

But that doesn’t mean voters blindly pick the first five names on the ballot. In 2019, when 34 Democrats ran for Council at-large, Adrian Rivera-Reyes, the relatively unknown candidate who drew the first ballot position, finished seventh in the race, while an incumbent, Helen Gym, was in the third position and was the only one of the top five spots to win.

Philadelphia’s ballot lottery has been criticized over the years — with good-government advocates calling to randomize positions as other cities do — but the day has nonetheless become a ritual for Philadelphia’s political class, packed with all the laughter and drama of a family reunion.

The biggest cheer of the day went to retired City Councilmember Marian Tasco, 85, who pulled No. 2 for her protégé, former Councilmember Cherelle Parker, in the Democratic primary for mayor. Parker started her political career as an intern in Tasco’s City Hall office.

Councilmember Curtis Jones Jr., after jokingly rubbing his hands together for luck before picking No. 2 in his two-candidate primary, turned to the crowd and said, “Number one in your hearts.”

Former Councilmember David Oh, the lone Republican running for mayor, drew applause after drawing the first (and only) ballot position.

Sherrie Cohen, the daughter of a former City Council member, said drawing the primo second spot on the at-large ticket this year could finally give her campaign “a boost” after past unsuccessful bids. “I was getting more and more excited as the count went on,” she said.

And it wouldn’t be a family reunion if emotions didn’t run high.

Election attorney Kevin Greenberg hand-delivered court service papers to Isa Matin, a Democratic candidate in the 5th District Council race, informing him of a legal challenge filed this week against his nominating petitions. But Matin let the paperwork drop to the floor and stormed out.

Greenberg yelled after Matin down the packed hallway: “You’ve been served!”