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City council elections in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (2019)

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Philadelphia elections, 2019
Mayor
Democratic primary
City council
Other races
City commission, county sheriff, register of wills, trial court judges, and municipal judges
Primary election: May 21, 2019
General election: November 5, 2019
Last election: 2017
Next election: 2021

In the 2019 elections, a minor-party candidate won a seat on Philadelphia's City Council for the first time since the city charter's ratification in 1951. Under the 1951 charter, each of Philadelphia's 10 council districts elects one member to the city council, while the other seven seats are filled by the city as a whole in an at-large election. Although there are seven at-large seats, each party is limited to nominating five candidates, meaning that no one party can control every seat. In every city council election between 1951 and 2015, Democrats won five at-large seats and Republicans won two.[1]

In the 2019 municipal election, Democrats won 14 seats on Philadelphia's city council, with two seats going to Republicans and one to the Working Families Party.[2] The city council's seven at-large seats went to Democrats Allan Domb, Derek Green, Helen Gym, Katherine Richardson, and Isaiah Thomas, Working Families Party candidate Kendra Brooks, and Republican David Oh.[3]

The five candidates who advanced from the Republican primary were, in order of votes received, Daniel Tinney, Al Taubenberger, Matt Wolfe, Bill Heeney, and David Oh.

As of the October 25, 2019, campaign finance reports, Brooks had raised $213,000—more than three Republican candidates and the largest fundraising figure for a minor-party or independent candidate in city history.[4] The Working Families Party had spent over $247,000 in support of Brooks and fellow candidate Nicolas O'Rourke.[5]

Presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren (D) was among the out-of-city figures to weigh in on the race, issuing an endorsement of Brooks. Bernie Sanders-affiliated group Our Revolution endorsed Joe Cox (I).

Brooks campaigned alongside O'Rourke, referring to him as her running mate and urging her supporters to also vote for him.[6]

The candidates on the at-large ballot included five incumbents—Democrats Allan Domb, Derek Green, and Helen Gym, and Republicans David Oh and Al Taubenberger. As of the October 25, 2019, campaign finance reports, Taubenberger had outraised Brooks and both Republicans had outraised O'Rourke.

Voters also elected the mayor, all three members of the city commission, the county sheriff, and the register of wills. Seven judicial seats were up for election and 16 judges faced retention votes.

Click here to learn more about the city's mayoral election and here to learn more about the other elections taking place in Philadelphia in 2019.

Candidates and results

Philadelphia City Council general election candidates
  • Incumbents are marked with an (i) after their name.
  • Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
Office Democratic Party Democratic Republican Party Republican Other
at-large  (7 seats)

Green check mark transparent.pngAllan Domb (i)  Candidate Connection
Green check mark transparent.pngDerek Green (i)
Green check mark transparent.pngHelen Gym (i)
Green check mark transparent.pngKatherine Richardson
Green check mark transparent.pngIsaiah Thomas

Green check mark transparent.pngDavid Oh (i)
Al Taubenberger (i)
Bill Heeney
Daniel Tinney
Matt Wolfe  Candidate Connection

Sherrie Cohen (A Better Council Party)
Maj Toure (Libertarian Party)  Candidate Connection
Steve Cherniavsky (Term Limits Philadelphia Party)  Candidate Connection
Green check mark transparent.pngKendra Brooks (Working Families Party)
Nicolas O'Rourke (Working Families Party)
Joe Cox (Independent)  Candidate Connection
Clarc King (Independent)

District 1

Green check mark transparent.pngMark Squilla (i)

Daniel Orsino  Candidate Connection

District 2

Green check mark transparent.pngKenyatta Johnson (i)

Michael Bradley  Candidate Connection

District 3

Green check mark transparent.pngJamie Gauthier

District 4

Green check mark transparent.pngCurtis Jones (i)

Matt Baltsar (Libertarian Party)
Karla Cruel (Independent)  Candidate Connection

District 5

Green check mark transparent.pngDarrell Clarke (i)

District 6

Green check mark transparent.pngBobby Henon (i)

Pete Smith  Candidate Connection

District 7

Green check mark transparent.pngMaria Quinones-Sanchez (i)

District 8

Green check mark transparent.pngCindy Bass (i)

Greg Paulmier (Independent)  Candidate Connection

District 9

Green check mark transparent.pngCherelle Parker (i)

District 10

Judy Moore  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngBrian O'Neill (i)


Philadelphia City Council primary candidates
  • Incumbents are marked with an (i) after their name.
  • Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
Office Democratic Party Democratic Republican Party Republican Other
at-large  (7 seats)

Green check mark transparent.pngAllan Domb (i)  Candidate Connection
Green check mark transparent.pngDerek Green (i)
Green check mark transparent.pngHelen Gym (i)
Fareed Abdullah
Wayne Allen
Erika Almiron
Deja Alvarez
Ethelind Baylor
Vinny Blackwell
Latrice Bryant
Devon Cade
Sherrie Cohen
Bobbie Curry
Justin DiBerardinis
Joseph Diorio
Wayne Dorsey
Beth Finn  Candidate Connection
Sandra Glenn
Ogbonna Hagins  Candidate Connection
Asa Khalif
Adrian Reyes
Green check mark transparent.pngKatherine Richardson
Mark Ross
Eryn Santamoor
Edwin Santana
Willie Singletary
Green check mark transparent.pngIsaiah Thomas
Billy Thompson
Fernando Trevino
Hena Veit

Did not make the ballot:
David Conroy 
Janice Tangradi 
Melissa Robbins 
Mike Stack 

Green check mark transparent.pngDavid Oh (i)
Green check mark transparent.pngAl Taubenberger (i)
Irina Goldstein
Green check mark transparent.pngBill Heeney
Drew Murray
Green check mark transparent.pngDaniel Tinney
Green check mark transparent.pngMatt Wolfe  Candidate Connection

Independent

No candidates filed for the Independent primary

Libertarian Party

No candidates filed for the Libertarian Party primary
District 1

Green check mark transparent.pngMark Squilla (i)
Louis Lanni

Green check mark transparent.pngDaniel Orsino  Candidate Connection

District 2

Green check mark transparent.pngKenyatta Johnson (i)
Lauren Vidas

Green check mark transparent.pngMichael Bradley  Candidate Connection

District 3

Jannie Blackwell (i)
Green check mark transparent.pngJamie Gauthier

District 4

Green check mark transparent.pngCurtis Jones (i)
Ron Adams

Did not make the ballot:
Jeannette Geter 
District 5

Green check mark transparent.pngDarrell Clarke (i)

Did not make the ballot:
Sheila Armstrong 
Omar Woodard 
District 6

Green check mark transparent.pngBobby Henon (i)

Green check mark transparent.pngPete Smith  Candidate Connection

District 7

Green check mark transparent.pngMaria Quinones-Sanchez (i)
Angel Cruz

District 8

Green check mark transparent.pngCindy Bass (i)

Did not make the ballot:
Tonya Bah 
Patrick Jones 
District 9

Green check mark transparent.pngCherelle Parker (i)

Did not make the ballot:
Archye Leacock 
Bobbie Curry 
District 10

Green check mark transparent.pngJudy Moore  Candidate Connection

Did not make the ballot:
Taras Smerechanskyy 

Green check mark transparent.pngBrian O'Neill (i)


Noteworthy endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

This section lists noteworthy endorsements issued in this election, including those made by high-profile individuals and organizations, cross-party endorsements, and endorsements made by newspaper editorial boards. It also includes a bulleted list of links to official lists of endorsements for any candidates who published that information on their campaign websites. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please click here.

Click the links below to see endorsement lists published on candidate campaign websites, if available.

Democratic Party Allan Domb

  • Philadelphia 3.0[7]
  • Philadelphia Democratic City Committee[8]
  • The Philadelphia Inquirer[9]
  • The Philadelphia Tribune[10]
  • Philly for Growth[11]

Democratic Party Derek Green

Democratic Party Helen Gym

Democratic Party Katherine Richardson

  • Philadelphia Democratic City Committee[8]
  • The Philadelphia Inquirer[9]
  • The Philadelphia Tribune[10]

Democratic Party Isaiah Thomas

  • Philadelphia Democratic City Committee[8]
  • Reclaim Philadelphia[16]

Republican Party Bill Heeney

Click here to submit information on noteworthy endorsements for Bill Heeney.

Republican Party David Oh

Republican Party Al Taubenberger

Republican Party Daniel Tinney

  • Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5[19]
  • The Philadelphia Inquirer[9]

Republican Party Matt Wolfe

Libertarian Party Maj Toure

Grey.png Sherrie Cohen

  • Philadelphia Neighborhood Networks[14]

Grey.png Joe Cox

Grey.png Clarc King

Click here to submit information on noteworthy endorsements for Clarc King.

Grey.png Steve Cherniavsky

Click here to submit information on noteworthy endorsements for Steve Cherniavsky.

Working Families Party Kendra Brooks

Working Families Party Nicolas O'Rourke

Campaign finance

The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the City of Philadelphia Board of Ethics covering all funds raised and spent in 2019 through October 21. Also included is the amount each candidate reported having in their campaign account as of January 1, 2019.

Debates and forums

October 21 at-large candidate forum

On October 21, 2019, the Friends of the Free Library hosted a candidate forum for at-large city council candidates at the Lillian Marrero Library. Eight of the 17 candidates attended: David Oh (R), Matt Wolfe (R), Sherrie Cohen (A Better Council Party), Joe Cox (I), Clarc King (I), Steve Cherniavsky (Term Limits Philadelphia Party), Kendra Brooks (Working Families Party), and Nicolas O'Rourke (Working Families Party).

  • See the Al Día rundown of the forum here.
  • See the Billy Penn rundown of the forum here.

Campaign themes

Candidate survey

Candidate Connection Logo - stacked.png

Ballotpedia invites candidates to participate in its annual survey.
Click here to fill out the survey.

Republican Party Matt Wolfe

Video for Ballotpedia

Video submitted to Ballotpedia
Released March 27, 2019

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Matt Wolfe completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Wolfe's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Matt Wolfe is a former Deputy Attorney General. He also served in the administration of Governor Tom Ridge as the Chief Counsel of the Department of Labor and Industry, which played a key role in helping Pennsylvania's economy grow and attract new jobs. Before that he was Assistant Counsel at the Department of Transportation and he was appointed a Special Assistant District Attorney and Special Prosecutor in several counties. In Philadelphia, former District Attorney Ron Castille appointed him a Special Assistant District Attorney to represent the city to close down nuisance bars in his neighborhood. He helped close down the notorious Times Café and the Purple Fox. He also served with Sam Katz when Sam was on the School Board as a member of the Philadelphia School Board's Task Force on Scholastics and Sports, which developed academic standards for public school students to meet in order to be eligible for sports and extracurricular activities.

Matt Wolfe has been a community activist in West Philadelphia since he was in college. He was a long-time member of the Board of Directors of the Spruce Hill Community Association, also serving as its Vice President. Matt has served as a member of the 18th Police District Neighborhood Advisory Committee and was Vice Chairman of the Woodland District of the Boy Scouts of America. He is active in his parish, St. Francis DeSales, and has served on the Parish Pastoral Council and as a Eucharistic Minister.

Matt Wolfe has been an active Republican since college, is the Chairman of the University City Republican Committee and has served his community for years as a ward leader and committeeman. Wolfe is a lawyer, having graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and Villanova Law School, practicing election law and has taught other lawyers in continuing education classes in the area. He currently maintains his own law office, understanding the challenges that a small business owners face.
  • End the culture of corruption on city council
  • Bring common sense to city council
  • Alleviate poverty by bringing encouraging job creation and giving our children better educational opportunities
Philadelphia has gotten into the bad habit of simply raising taxes - on its citizens, businesses, and anyone else with the ability to pay - whenever it needs money or wants to fund some "program." The soda tax is a prime example. The city needed money for its general fund so it enacted a tax the negatively effects nearly every citizen. Oh, and City Hall said it was for Pre-K - a good goal - but only a small portion of the proceeds went to fund the program.

Fight New Taxes and Increases in Existing Taxes
Probably the biggest reason for decimation of Philadelphia's tax base has been the jobs chased out of the city by our high tax rates and our irrational tax structure. Our current tax structure is perfect for mid-19th Century Philadelphia. At that time, the economy of the city was driven by manufacturing. Manufacturing businesses had to be along the river or rail lines and within walking distance from their workforce. Manufacturing was very labor intensive. There was no moving your factory to Blue Bell. Taxing jobs and businesses made some sense.

The economics of the region changed but our tax structure did not evolve. We have a more mobile economy and service industries have become dominant, while less manufacturing takes place. Drive down City Line Avenue to see what happened.

We need a tax structure that will keep businesses in Philadelphia.
Theodore Roosevelt's "Man in the Arena" speech: "It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."
Election of John Kennedy as President. I was about four.
Yorktown Seafood, three years in high school
My best qualification is that I am not on City Council right now. I do have governmental experience as a Deputy Attorney General, Special Assistant District Attorney and running the legal department for the state Department of Labor and Industry in the Ridge Administration. That being said, my more appropriate experience is that I spent most of my career as an attorney in private practice where I had to turn a profit. All too often in Philadelphia we are governed by elected officials who have never in their lives had to do that and it shows in their legislation that chases jobs, businesses, taxpayers and opportunity out of the city.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Grey.png Joe Cox

Video for Ballotpedia

Video submitted to Ballotpedia
Released October 21, 2019

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Joe Cox completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Cox's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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As a bike messenger, for over 7 and a half years in Philadelphia, I have seen first hand that we are not treating our street citizens and workers equitable. I see daily that our roads are dangerous, unclean, inaccessible, and that we have a hit and run rate of over 40-a-day. Over 3 years ago I started a nonprofit, PMA Bike Ride we feed those in food-insecure areas all over the city while offering a connection on a human level. Thus far we have delivered over 4,000 pizzas and counting. Running for public office was a natural evolution of being an activist for a more equitable Philadelphia. As a Progressive Independent candidate, I am only beholden to the people and willing to hold BOTH major parties accountable. This Tuesday, November 5th, Let's Put People First.
  • Clean, Safe, Accessible Streets
  • End Stop and Frisk and the 10-year Tax Abatement
  • Legalize Recreational Marijuana - Reinvest Revenue into our Communities
Quality of Life issues: such as lowering our 40 a day hit and run rate by investing more into Vision Zero PHL, that is why I am championing for more trash cans, recycling programs that net revenue back to our city, and pilot clean streets programs that are both well managed but also employ our street citizens allowing them more options and resources. We need to clean our streets and not add significantly to our poor air quality by investing in nonenvironmentally sound gas-powered leaf blowers, instead of using clean, green, people-power. I am also passionate about accessible public restrooms. We can recreate programs that have worked in D.C. and other major cities. The gritty and unglamorous part of public policy that has a direct impact on everyone from street citizens, to property owners, to potential business investors, and established business corridors, is our lack of clean, safe, and accessible streets and we can do something. Philadelphia has the largest commuter cycling communities, the largest disabled community, and more than 26% of the population living below the poverty line. Addressing our problems head-on in City Council, instead of forever investigating, is a first step in making our streets clean, safe, and accessible for all. Nearly 15,000 residents are hit every year with devastating impacts, such as loss of wages, medical bills, or even death. Together - "Let's Put People First."
Local elections impact your life more than who is our President. We elect our judges and our city governing body this November 2019. While Philadelphia and Pittsburg carry the Democratic vote in Pennsylvania, we Independents are often forgotten, only to be targeted to sway to one major party or another to help flip the state blue or red for Presidential races. However, Independents are the quickest growing and registering Political Party in Philadelphia. We can make Independent history, on Tuesday, November 5th, by voting for an established and growing Independent Party candidate. By electing a true Independent to City Council we can finally hold both major parties accountable.
I look up to Vermont Senator and Presidential candidate, Bernie Sanders. It was during the 2016 Presidential election that I learned about the progressive candidate and his platform. I was inspired to become political and to make my voice heard. Up until then, I was a bike messenger and a community activist, after helping promote and attend 8 Bernie marches, including helping organize people to attend the DNC which was held in Philadelphia, I was inspired to have a greater impact. It was shortly after that I began my nonprofit PMA Bike Ride. Seeing the number of street citizens rise drastically in the last 5 years I am honored to be able to do my small part to lower the rate of those dying starving on our streets, but I also feel like we the people have the power to do so much more to represent our most vulnerable citizens. Bernie's determination and unwavering belief in the working class inspired me to run for public office.
My political philosophy in essay form is the "Second Treatise of Government" by John Locke, in book form of my political philosophy is the resonating message in the "Lorax" by Dr. Seuss -- "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot. Nothing is going to get better. It's not.", and in film, the biographical movie "MILK."
Grit and determination are characteristics that are most important for an elected official. Bureaucracies are notorious for taking forever to get anything done, and Philadelphia's government is one of the last dinosaurs left from a backroom deals era. The ability to stand up to corruption and special interest groups with strong resolve while also negotiating to pass legislation that benefits the people of Philadelphia are the most important principles to me for an elected official to posses.
Passion, determination, a strong work ethic and being genuine.
Core responsibilities for someone elected to this office are to represent the most vulnerable and marginalized in the city of Philadelphia. 26% of the city's population lives below the poverty line, over 300 street citizens die every year on the street, rents keep increasing as do property taxes yet our quality of life is suffering. We need to aggressively address our 40 a day hit and run rate that impacts the lives of all motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians. We need to make our streets, clean, safe, and accessible for all.
Having fewer people hungry in Philadelphia and having safer, cleaner, and more accessible city streets.
My first historical event that happened in my life which was significant was 911. I was in high school, in my French class, when the school went into lockdown. We all watched huddled around TVs looking as the two towers fell. In that one moment, I learned about the resiliency of not only New Yorkers but our nation as a whole.
My very first job, I was 14 cutting grass in my neighborhood. My first job with a paycheck was when I was 16, as a summer helper with Pepsi, which included unloading, loading trucks, and merchandising the store. I worked for 4 summers in a row with Pepsi in Salisbury, Maryland.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams. As a young adult, there have been many times in my life where I have felt like Arthur Dent, both in the sheer confusion of bureaucratic choices being made and in the uncertainty of how life all fits together.
The Lorax.
Pragmatist's Guide to Revolution - Guante and Big Cats
Naturally being an introvert and having a fear of public speaking has been a struggle in my life. Being a kid who was bullied in middle school, it was through the punk music scene in the late 90s early 2000s that helped me gain self-acceptance and belief in my own worth. Having the outlet of being a drummer and being surrounded by others who did not "go with the grain" all helped shape me as a person and helped me overcome a fear of putting myself out there. If only my middle school self could see me now, still an introvert but with more resolve to speak his mind.
There is a lack of transparency in the Philadelphia City Council. Many voters and residents do not understand how bills are created, debated, and voted on. When going to vote many do not understand the charter questions, and even fewer residents are able to attend open city council meetings held at 11 AM on Thursdays. With the lack of term limits we also have the often caricature version of the career politician. Philadelphia is the 5th most corrupt City in the nation. We currently have multiple Councilpersons under federal investigation. It is time we have new visions and urgency on the city council.
For certain positions in our government, absolutely. To be a representative of the people on the local level, however, I do not feel that previous experience in government or politics is required. Rather it should require someone who has sheer determination, vision, and the desire to make an impact on the ground level.
The ability to create coalitions with varied stakeholders, and the willingness to listen to the general public.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

About the city

See also: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia is a city in Pennsylvania. The city is consolidated with Philadelphia County, which means that the city and county share a government and boundaries. It is the center of the Delaware Valley Metropolitan Area. As of 2010, its population was 1,526,006.

City government

See also: Mayor-council government

The city of Philadelphia uses a strong mayor and city council system. In this form of municipal government, the city council serves as the city's primary legislative body and the mayor serves as the city's chief executive.[28][29]

Demographics

The following table displays demographic data provided by the United States Census Bureau.

Demographic Data for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia Pennsylvania
Population 1,526,006 12,702,379
Land area (sq mi) 134 44,742
Race and ethnicity**
White 40.7% 80.5%
Black/African American 42.1% 11.2%
Asian 7.2% 3.4%
Native American 0.4% 0.2%
Pacific Islander 0% 0%
Other (single race) 6.5% 2.2%
Multiple 3.1% 2.5%
Hispanic/Latino 14.7% 7.3%
Education
High school graduation rate 84.7% 90.5%
College graduation rate 29.7% 31.4%
Income
Median household income $45,927 $61,744
Persons below poverty level 24.3% 12.4%
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2010). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2014-2019).
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.


State profile

See also: Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania elections, 2019
USA Pennsylvania location map.svg

Partisan data

The information in this section was current as of May 7, 2019

Presidential voting pattern

Congressional delegation

State executives

  • Democrats held six of Pennsylvania's 16 state executive offices. Elections for the other offices are nonpartisan.
  • Pennsylvania's governor was Democrat Tom Wolf.

State legislature

Pennsylvania Party Control: 1992-2025
One year of a Democratic trifecta  •  Twelve years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Governor D D D R R R R R R R R D D D D D D D D R R R R D D D D D D D D D D D
Senate R D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
House D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R D D _

Pennsylvania quick stats
  • Became a state in 1787
  • 2nd state admitted to the United States
  • The United States Declaration of Independence and United States Constitution were both drafted in Pennsylvania.
  • Members of the Pennsylvania State Senate: 50
  • Members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives: 203
  • U.S. senators: 2
  • U.S. representatives: 18
More Pennsylvania coverage on Ballotpedia:


Demographic data for Pennsylvania
 PennsylvaniaU.S.
Total population:12,791,904316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):44,7433,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:81.6%73.6%
Black/African American:11%12.6%
Asian:3.1%5.1%
Native American:0.2%0.8%
Pacific Islander:0%0.2%
Two or more:2.1%3%
Hispanic/Latino:6.4%17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:89.2%86.7%
College graduation rate:28.6%29.8%
Income
Median household income:$53,599$53,889
Persons below poverty level:15.9%11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Pennsylvania.
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties by state

Three of 67 Pennsylvania counties—4.5 percent—are pivot counties. These are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 pivot counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008
County Trump margin of victory in 2016 Obama margin of victory in 2012 Obama margin of victory in 2008
Erie County, Pennsylvania 1.56% 16.03% 19.88%
Luzerne County, Pennsylvania 19.31% 4.81% 8.41%
Northampton County, Pennsylvania 3.78% 4.71% 12.30%

In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) won Pennsylvania with 48.2 percent of the vote. Hillary Clinton (D) received 47.5 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, Pennsylvania cast votes for the winning presidential candidate 76.7 percent of the time. In that same time frame, Pennsylvania supported Republican candidates for president more often than Democratic candidates, 53.3 to 43.3 percent. The state, however, favored Democrats in every presidential election between 2000 and 2012, but voted Republican in 2016.

Presidential results by legislative district

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Pennsylvania. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[30][31]

In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 89 out of 203 state House districts in Pennsylvania with an average margin of victory of 37.4 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 84 out of 203 state House districts in Pennsylvania with an average margin of victory of 37.3 points. Clinton won 19 districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections.
In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 114 out of 203 state House districts in Pennsylvania with an average margin of victory of 20 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 119 out of 203 state House districts in Pennsylvania with an average margin of victory of 28.2 points. Trump won 17 districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections.


See also

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Municipal government Other local coverage
Seal of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.svg
Seal of Pennsylvania.png
Municipal Government Final.png
Local Politics Image.jpg

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Philadelphia Magazine, "Meet the Candidates Trying to Shake Up the City Council At-Large Race," October 21, 2019
  2. ↑ Office of the Philadelphia City Commissioners, "Election Night Results," accessed November 6, 2019
  3. ↑ The Philadelphia Inquirer, "Kendra Brooks captured a Philadelphia City Council seat in a historic win for the Working Families Party and Philly progressives," November 6, 2019
  4. ↑ The Philadelphia Inquirer, "Kendra Brooks has raised more money than any third-party Philly candidate ever. Here’s how." October 9, 2019
  5. ↑ Billy Penn, "$250k in outside money to help Working Families Party gain seats on Philly City Council," October 29, 2019
  6. ↑ Billy Penn, "Kendra Brooks asks 3,000 Democratic leaders to back her City Council campaign — despite party opposition," October 14, 2019
  7. ↑ Philadelphia 3.0, "Endorsements," accessed October 23, 2019
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 Billy Penn, "New faces set to join Philly City Council as Democratic machine takes at-large races," May 21, 2019
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 The Philadelphia Inquirer, "City Council At-Large: A unique opportunity for political diversity | Endorsement," October 30, 2019
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 The Philadelphia Tribune, "The Tribune’s endorsed candidates," November 3, 2019
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 KYW News Radio, "With dizzying array of candidates, who has the edge in City Council-at-large Democratic primary?" May 16, 2019
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 12.6 12.7 12.8 Derek Green for City Council, "Endorsements," accessed October 23, 2019
  13. ↑ The Philadelphia Tribune, "City Democratic Committee snubs Jewell Williams, declines to endorse any candidate in sheriff's race," April 5, 2019
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Philadelphia Neighborhood Networks, "Philly NN Endorses Slate of Justice-Seeking Candidates in May 2019 Primary Election," March 27, 2019
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 15.6 15.7 15.8 Helen Gym for City Council, "Endorsements," accessed October 23, 2019
  16. ↑ Reclaim Philadelphia, "Isaiah Thomas - Candidate for City Council at Large," April 3, 2019
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 David Oh for City Council, "Home," accessed October 23, 2019
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Al for Council, "Endorsements," accessed October 23, 2019
  19. ↑ The Northeast Times, "FOP backs Tinney in Republican Council primary," May 9, 2019
  20. ↑ Matt Wolfe for City Council, "Ron Castille Endorses Matt Wolfe (R) for City Council at Large," May 18, 2019
  21. ↑ Twitter, "Maj Toure," April 29, 2019
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Joe Cox for Council, "Endorsements," accessed October 23, 2019
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 23.3 The Northeast Times, "More endorsements for Working Families Party candidates for Council," September 25, 2019
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 24.3 24.4 24.5 24.6 24.7 24.8 Kendra for Philly, "Endorsements," accessed October 23, 2019
  25. ↑ WHYY, "Gym endorsement crosses party lines, leaders," August 27, 2019
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Philadelphia Neighborhood Networks, "General Election 2019 – Support & Vote for Kendra Brooks & Nicolas O’Rourke for City Council At-Large," October 22, 2019
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 27.3 27.4 27.5 27.6 O'Rourke for Philly, "Endorsements," accessed October 23, 2019
  28. ↑ City of Philadelphia, "Government Organization," accessed October 29, 2014
  29. ↑ Philadelphia City Charter, 1.101-102, accessed October 29, 2014
  30. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
  31. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
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