How Philly's Black Moderate Mayoral Candidate Beat a Bernie Sanders/AOC-Backed Progressive

[RandySF]

If you were anywhere but Philly during Tuesday night’s primary election, you were probably shocked that Gym wasn’t elected as the City of Brotherly Love’s 100th mayor.

National headlines would have had you thinking that Gym, an activist-turned-politician, was going to complete a current wave of progressive mayoral victories across the country. For all of the momentum she had gotten leading up to Primary Day (a rally of over 1,200 people that included appearances by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders, endorsements from Hollywood actors), Gym came in third place.

The winner? The veteran Democratic establishment darling Cherelle Parker, a moderate who is now the first woman, and fourth Black candidate, to ever clinch the Philadelphia Democratic mayoral nomination. Given the electoral ratio of 7-to-1 local Democrats in comparison to Republicans, she’s highly expected to win in the November general election.

Parker, a longtime political powerhouse who had previously served as a Pennsylvania state representative and city councilmember, ran on a campaign that was tough on crime (such as calls to increase police funding and enforce “constitutional” stop-and-frisk) and took stanch stances against safe-injection sites and other progressive policies.

Cherelle Parker isn’t the exact carbon-copy of New York City Mayor Eric Adams, but her victory mirrors that of his: A charismatic, Black centrist who ran on a practical platform that addressed crime and kitchen table issues—while their more progressive challengers split the vote (runner-up candidate Rebecca Rhynhart was seen as a pragmatic progressive alternative compared to the more radical Gym). Unlike the Big Apple, Philadelphia is one of the poorest major cities in America with a skyrocketing gun violence crisis that impacts its majority Black and brown demographic.




https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-philadelphias-black-moderate-beat-a-bernie-sandersaoc-backed-progressive?ref=wrap

[brooklynite]

1. I wasn't surprised...

Philadelphia, the City that elected Frank Rizzo twice, has never been “progressive”. Neither is NYC.

And the experience of Bernie Sanders’ Presidential campaign points out that rally crowds don’t translate to votes.

[PCIntern]

3. I agree as a denizen essentially my whole life

I would state for the record, however, that the population phase has radically changed since the reserve days, but you are absolutely correct that even minority citizens are not progressive in Philadelphia the way they are in other cities. Quite frankly, I think they bought into the notion that crime waves against city is weeds against them as well and the time for coddling criminals is over. We happen to have a district attorney, label to progressive, who has basically legalized all kinds of criminal activity, including shoplifting, traffic, and vehicle issues, and minor assaults. This is not an opinion, this is simply fact. And as a lifelong progressive, I’m extremely annoyed that his DA administration is being used locally as a reason to turn toward Trump and his minions.

[betsuni]

2. K&R

[Nixie]

4. K&R!

Great news. 👍