Photo from CherelleParker.com

Cherelle Parker comfortably won the Democratic nomination for mayor in Tuesday’s primary election and will likely become the first woman to hold the job in city’s history.

Parker, a Mount Airy resident and the only native Philadelphian among the top three vote-getters, dominated in heavily African American wards in the city. Parker received 32.95 percent of the votes (69,499 ballots cast). Former City Controller Rebecca Rhynhart received 22.63 percent (47,737 ballots), and former City Councilmember and education reformer Helen Gym received 21.31 percent (44,946 ballots).

It is worth noting that the voter turnout was low, with the total of 239,680 ballots cast, or about 23.5 percent of registered voters. Continue Reading

Jamie Gauthier

Political newcomer Jamie Gauthier pulled off the biggest upset in Tuesday’s primary election, handily defeating longtime incumbent Jannie Blackwell in the City Council 3rd District race. The win appears to end the 45-year reign of the Blackwell family in the district, which has undergone massive demographic changes in recent years.

Gauthier garnered about 56 percent of the approximately 25,000 votes cast and with no Republican candidate in Tuesday’s primary, the win almost assures her victory in the November general election.  Continue Reading

The 2018 primary election results are in, and there are no surprises this year for West Philly Democratic candidates.

Incumbent Jim Roebuck beat his opponents, lawyer Jeff Curry and the president of the Kingsessing Area Civic Association Diane Settles, for the State House of Representatives District 188 seat, which includes parts of Spruce Hill, Squirrel Hill, Walnut Hill, Spruce Hill, Garden Court, Beige Block and University City. Roebuck received 56.17 percent of total votes, according to Philly Election Results, the website reporting unofficial election results.

Vanessa Lowery Brown, the incumbent seeking her fifth term in the State House of Representatives, District 190, which includes parts of Cobbs Creek, Belmont, Carroll Park, Cathedral Park, Mill Creek, Haddington, East Parkside, West Powelton, Allegheny West and Lehigh West, beat her opponents Raymond H. Bailey and Wanda Logan. Brown received 64.92 percent of total votes, according to Philly Election Results.

Candidates Joanna McClinton (District 191) and Morgan Cephas (District 192) were running unopposed.

For more election results, including the results by ward and division, go here.

The 2016 Pennsylvania Primary Election results are in, and here are some local results and a breakdown by wards on the vote for presidential candidates. Overall, West Philadelphia’s Democratic voters supported Hillary Clinton, except for the 27th Ward where Bernie Sanders came out on top. Note: the results below are unofficial and incomplete. To view more results, go here.

PA Representative, District 190

Vanessa Lowery Brown – 36.45 percent (5381 votes)
Wanda Logan – 28.37 percent (4188 votes)
Ray Bailey – 12.02 percent (1775 votes)
Darryl Thomas – 11.37 percent (1679 votes)

PA Representative, District 188 

James Roebuck (incumbent, unopposed) – 99.87 percent (12134 votes)

Representative in Congress, District 2 (Democrats)

Chaka Fattah (incumbent) – 36.76 percent (58821 votes)
Dwight Evans – 43.51 percent (69622 votes)

Continue Reading

All the votes are in for yesterday’s primary election and here are some local results.

In the democratic primary for the 188th District representation in Pennsylvania House, incumbent James Roebuck defeated local businessman and community organizer Algernong Allen. Roebuck garnered 69 percent of the votes (4,097) versus 31 percent (1,814) for Allen.

Spruce Hill based Republican attorney Matthew Wolfe lost his bid for a seat in the City Council to Democratic candidate Ed Neilson in the special election to replace Councilman-at-Large Bill Green, who resigned his seat to head the School Reform Commission.

The ballot question that asked voters if the city’s minimum wage of $10.88 for city contractors should apply to sub-contractors, mainly Philadelphia International Airport workers, received 93,000 “yes” votes, versus 30,000 “no” votes as of about 11 p.m. on Tuesday (97 percent of precincts reporting), according to the Office of the City Commissioners website.