Philadelphians wrote-in presidential votes for Josh Shapiro, Jason Kelce, Jesus, and the city itself

The presidential write-in results showed Philadelphians’ boundless creativity and a bit of main character energy, with one person literally writing that the city of Philadelphia should be president.

The city hosted the only debate between President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. It’s also where Harris held her final rally on election eve. While Harris easily won the Democratic-leaning city, Trump’s improvement on his 2020 numbers helped him win the state.

Still, Philadelphians floated a host of other options beyond the major party candidates with their 2,163 write-in votes. Jason Kelce scored five write-in votes, including one listing his brother Travis Kelce as his running mate. He had a better showing than Taylor Swift and Gritty, who each received two write-ins.

Spongebob Squarepants, Big Bird, Big Foot, and The Rock each got one write-in.

Gov. Josh Shapiro received 18 write-in votes alone, and a few more voters wrote him in with their ideal running mates including Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, former first lady Michelle Obama, and Arizona Sen. Krysten Sinema.

Shapiro got one more vote than “Jesus,” who garnered 17 votes when referred to by his first name only. But “Jesus Christ,” on the other hand, outran the governor with 19 votes. Eight people wrote “God,” and other individuals wrote variations of Jesus Christ, including one that tacked on Harriet Tubman’s name, presumably as Christ’s running mate.

Others also expressed their religion, or maybe their feelings about the election, with individuals writing in “The Lord Jesus Christ,” “The God of Israel,” and “The Lord have mercy on us all.”

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders also received 17 votes alone, though some others also wrote in their ideal running mates for Sanders, including Michigan Gov. Tim Walz, “VP Trump,” Rep. Summer Lee (D., Pa.), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and “Free Palestine.”

Mickey Mouse and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis tied with 8 votes each.

President Joe Biden, who withdrew from the race in favor of Vice President Kamala Harris, received ten write-ins.

A socialist received the most presidential write-in votes in Philadelphia in this year’s election, with a handful of other political hopefuls falling behind her.

The most popular presidential write-in candidate in Philadelphia was Claudia De la Cruz, a candidate for the Party for Socialism and Liberation. De la Cruz was on the ballot in nearly 20 states, but she was ultimately left off the Pennsylvania ballot following a successful legal challenge to her candidacy in the state.

In Philadelphia, 336 people cast their ballot for her, including 146 who also wrote Karina Garcia, who was running as vice president for De la Cruz.

Cornel West, whose efforts to get on the Pennsylvania ballot also failed, picked up a total of 234 write-ins, with 61 of those also mentioning his running mate Melian Abdullah. One person wrote in West with Biden as a running mate.

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who unsuccessfully ran for the Republican nomination, received 91 votes alone, with some others listing her with various politicians as her running mates, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

Former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Trump’s pick to run the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, received 83 votes with a few additional people also listing him with Nicole Shanahan, his would-be running mate. Kennedy withdrew from the Pennsylvania ballot and endorsed Trump in August.

The protest vote movement over Gaza also had a showing, with 44 people writing “Free Palestine” and a handful writing other iterations of the phrase. More than 40 people wrote in “uncommitted” including some who tacked on phrases such as “Free Gaza” and “Ceasefire Now.” Another person, presumably named Adam, wrote in “Adam for Gaza.”

U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D., Mi.), the first Palestinian American woman to serve in Congress, received 14 write-ins.

Philadelphians also wrote in things they want to stop, with individuals writing in:

Others expressed frustration at the options:

Another person simply wrote “Someone decent.” No one appeared to write in support for cheesesteak, Wawa, or – obviously – Sheetz.