Who's running for mayor?
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Campaign pins inside the city's Board of Elections Office. Photo: Mike D'Onofrio/Axios
Monday was the deadline to get on the May primary ballot in this municipal election, and more than 90 candidates filed. No, that's not a typo.
Why it matters: City Hall is poised for a shakeup. Mayor Jim Kenney is term-limited, and City Council will have several new members.
Zoom in: In the mayor's race, a dozen Democrats filed to run. They are:
- Former Councilmembers Cherelle Parker, Helen Gym, Allan Domb, Maria Quiñones Sánchez, and Derek Green
- Grocer Jeff Brown
- Former City Controller Rebecca Rhynhart
- John Wood, a former Philadelphia police lieutenant
- Amen Brown, a state rep from West Philly
- Warren Bloom, who has run for office several times
- James DeLeon, a former municipal court judge
- and Delscia Gray
The lone Republican running is former Councilmember David Oh.
In the at-large City Council races, 29 Democrats are competing for their party’s ticket to fill five seats.
- Three of four incumbents are running — Katherine Gilmore Richardson, Isaiah Thomas and Jim Harrity.
The other two at-large seats are set aside essentially for any party other than the Dems. Six Republicans are running for those.
Plus: Seven Democrats are vying to replace Council President Darrell Clarke, whose district includes parts of North Philly, Center City and Fishtown.
- Clarke's former chief of staff Curtis Wilkerson is one of them.
Sheriff: Three Democrats filed to challenge incumbent Rochelle Bilal; one Republican also filed.
Between the lines: The winners of the Democratic primaries typically win in the general because Philly's registered Democratic voters vastly outnumber Republicans.
What’s next: Ballot positioning will be determined on March 15, when candidates draw numbers from an old Horn & Hardart coffee can.
The bottom line: Yes, there are a bunch of races and scores of candidates to keep track of.
- But we’ll be rolling out coverage in the lead-up to the primary to help you sort through it all.