2023 Philadelphia mayoral election

The 2023 Philadelphia mayoral election was held on November 7, 2023 to elect the mayor of Philadelphia. Nominees for the Democratic and Republican parties were selected through primaries on May 16, 2023.

Incumbent Democratic mayor Jim Kenney was term limited and could not seek reelection to a third term. Philadelphia's three most recent mayors were previously members of Philadelphia City Council who resigned their seats to run for mayor due to the "resign to run" provision of Philadelphia's election law. Ed Rendell was the last mayor that did not come from City Council.

Notable Democratic candidates included former city councilmembers Allan Domb, Helen Gym, and Cherelle Parker; state representative Amen Brown; former municipal judge James DeLeon; former city controller Rebecca Rhynhart; businessman Jeff Brown; and pastor Warren Bloom Sr. Cherelle Parker won the Democratic primary on September 3 to go on and become the nominee. The Republican nominee is former longtime At-Large City Councilmember David Oh, who ran unopposed in his party's primary.

Parker was heavily favored in the general election, as Philadelphia has not elected a Republican mayor since 1947. Kenney was re-elected with 80% of the vote in 2019, while Democrat Joe Biden carried the city of Philadelphia with 81% of the vote in 2020. Oh still overperformed compared to previous Republicans, however, garnering nearly 25% of the vote - more than any Republican mayoral candidate since Sam Katz in 2003.

Background
In 2019, incumbent Mayor Jim Kenney was re-elected to his second and final term. Polling in March 2022 showed Kenney with a 55% approval rating among Philadelphia Democrats, while an equal percentage said the city was moving in the wrong direction.

Gun violence and public safety were top issues in the election. While Philadelphia saw 8% fewer homicides in 2022 than in 2021, the city recorded more than 500 homicides for the second year in a row. After a shooting at the city's July 4 celebration, Mayor Kenney told reporters he will "be happy" when he is no longer mayor, prompting City Council members Derek S. Green and Allan Domb to call for his resignation.

In August 2022, Allan Domb resigned from City Council ahead of an expected run for mayor but did not announce his candidacy until November of that year. In September, Derek Green, Maria Quiñones-Sánchez, and Cherelle Parker also resigned from City Council and announced their candidacies. City Controller Rebecca Rhynhart joined the race in October, followed by ShopRite retailer Jeff Brown and City Council member Helen Gym in November. State Representative Amen Brown announced his campaign in December.

Other declared candidates

 * Delscia Gray

Withdrew

 * Derek S. Green, At-large Philadelphia City Councilmember (2016–2022) (endorsed Parker)
 * Maria Quiñones-Sánchez, Philadelphia City Councilmember for the 7th district (2008–2022) (endorsed Parker)
 * John Wood, former Philadelphia police lieutenant and U.S. Marine Corps veteran

Did not qualify

 * Joseph Anthony Tartaglia

Declined

 * Cindy Bass, Philadelphia City Councilmember from the 8th district (2012–present) (running for re-election)
 * Howard Eskin, sports radio personality on 94.1 WIP
 * Vincent Hughes, Pennsylvania state senator from the 7th district (1994–present)
 * Jason Kelce, center for the Philadelphia Eagles
 * Keith Leaphart, entrepreneur, philanthropist, physician and Executive on Loan to the city of Philadelphia (2007)
 * Michael Nutter, Mayor of Philadelphia (2008–2016) (endorsed Rhynhart)
 * Mike Stack, former Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania (2015–2019) (endorsed Domb)

Campaign
In November 2022, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that former city councilmember Cherelle Parker had the "competitive advantage as the race gets underway." The Inquirer credited her "competitive advantage" to her close ties to labor unions in Philadelphia and her role as the Democratic leader of Northwest Philadelphia's 50th Ward, which is home to older middle-class Black voters, who boast some of the highest voter turnout.

Helen Gym has been described as the favored candidate by progressive activists. She faced early attacks from fellow candidates, who have criticized her votes in City Council to oppose greater funding for the Philadelphia Police Department.

In December 2022, Jeff Brown became the first candidate to run TV ads. The ads highlight his work opening grocery stores in "underserved communities" and accuses his rivals from City Council of inaction. This coincided with Brown receiving endorsements from some of Philadelphia's most powerful labor unions including the chapters of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, Transport Workers Union of America and United Food and Commercial Workers. Brown faced controversy when he aired an ad that showed an old clip of former First Lady Michelle Obama praising him. An advisor to Obama said that she does not get involved in Democratic primaries and criticized the ad for implying that she had endorsed Brown.

Campaign finance reports, released in early April, showed Allan Domb and Jeff Brown as having raised the most money of the candidates. The report showed that Domb had raised $2.6 million, with a $2 million being self-financed. In comparison, Brown raised $2 million with $800,000 being self-financed. The report also showed that more than half of the money donated came from outside of Philadelphia. Only Parker and Rhynhart raised a majority of their funds from Philadelphia donors.

Longtime city councilmember Maria Quiñones-Sánchez was originally a candidate, but withdrew on April 10, citing an "obnoxious, obscene amount of money that is shaping the race." Quiñones-Sánchez failed to win the endorsement of any labor unions and her $800,000 in campaign funds paled in comparison to other candidates in the race, who were primarily self-funding their campaigns.

On April 10, The Philadelphia Board of Ethics sued "For A Better Philadelphia", a super PAC and nonprofit, by the same name, supporting Jeff Brown's candidacy. The Board of Ethics investigation found an "extensive and elaborate scheme to circumvent the city's campaign contribution limits." In addition, the Board of Ethics said that Brown engaged in fundraising for "For A Better Philadelphia" by directing donors to give to the outside spending group. If Brown coordinated with the PAC, then the PAC's spending would be subject to the city's limits on political donations. The Philadelphia Board of Ethics asked a judge to issue an emergency order prohibiting the super PAC and nonprofit from spending money to support Brown.

In May 2023, two canvassers working for the group One PA, who were canvassing for Gym and a candidate for City Council, got into an altercation, which resulted in a fatal shooting.

Results
[[File:Philadelphia Mayor Democratic Primary 2023 Ward Map Margin.svg|260px|thumb|Results by ward: {{legend|#663399ff|Parker}}

{{legend|#eed7f4ff|20%-30%}}

{{legend|#ddafe9ff|30%-40%}}

{{legend|#cd87deff|40%-50%}}

{{legend|#bc5fd3ff|50%-60%}}

{{legend|#ab37c8ff|60%-70%}}

{{legend|#892ca0ff|70%-80%}} {{legend|#ffd700ff|Rhynhart}}

{{legend|#ffeeaaff|20%-30%}}

{{legend|#ffe680ff|30%-40%}}

{{legend|#ffdd55ff|40%-50%}} {{legend|#40e0d0ff|Gym}}

{{legend|#afe9ddff|20%-30%}}

{{legend|#87decdff|30%-40%}}

{{legend|#5fd3bcff|40%-50%}}

{{legend|#37c8abff|50%-60%}} {{legend|#ff8c00ff|Domb}}

{{legend|#ffccaaff|20%-30%}}

{{legend|#ffb380ff|30%-40%}} ]]

Results by Ward

Campaign
David Oh, a former longtime At-Large City Councilmember, was the only Republican to run for Mayor. Despite Philadelphia being a heavily Democratic city, Oh has established a brand as a Republican willing to clash with both parties and his cultivated a unique base of supporters, particularly among immigrant voters.

Debate
A debate between Parker and Oh took place on October 26, 2023, at the studios of KYW NewsRadio.

Results
Results by Ward