City elections in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (2025)

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2023
2025 Philadelphia elections
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Election dates
Filing deadline: January 6, 2025 (retention candidates), March 11, 2025 (primary candidates), and August 1, 2025 (general election candidates)
Primary election: May 20, 2025
General election: November 4, 2025
Election stats
Offices up: Controller, district attorney, court of common pleas judges, and municipal court judges
Total seats up: 38
Other municipal elections
U.S. municipal elections, 2025

The city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, held general elections for controller, district attorney, court of common pleas judges, and municipal court judges on November 4, 2025. A primary was scheduled for May 20, 2025. The filing deadline for the primary was March 11, 2025. The filing deadline for judges running for retention was January 6, 2025. The filing deadline for independent candidates running in the general election was August 1, 2025.


Elections

Click on the tabs below to show more information about those topics.

Candidates and results

Offices up for election in 2025:

City controller

General election

General election for Philadelphia City Controller

Incumbent Christy Brady defeated Ari Patrinos in the general election for Philadelphia City Controller on November 4, 2025.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Christy Brady
Christy Brady (D) Candidate Connection
 
85.8
 
273,795
Image of Ari Patrinos
Ari Patrinos (R)
 
14.2
 
45,139

Total votes: 318,934
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Philadelphia City Controller

Incumbent Christy Brady advanced from the Democratic primary for Philadelphia City Controller on May 20, 2025.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Christy Brady
Christy Brady Candidate Connection
 
99.6
 
120,801
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.4
 
469

Total votes: 121,270
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Philadelphia City Controller

Ari Patrinos advanced from the Republican primary for Philadelphia City Controller on May 20, 2025.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Ari Patrinos
Ari Patrinos
 
97.0
 
7,835
 Other/Write-in votes
 
3.0
 
241

Total votes: 8,076
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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District attorney

General election

General election for Philadelphia District Attorney

Incumbent Lawrence Krasner defeated Patrick F. Dugan in the general election for Philadelphia District Attorney on November 4, 2025.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Lawrence Krasner
Lawrence Krasner (D)
 
79.2
 
95,200
Image of Patrick F. Dugan
Patrick F. Dugan (R)
 
20.8
 
24,978

Total votes: 120,178
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Philadelphia District Attorney

Incumbent Lawrence Krasner defeated Patrick F. Dugan in the Democratic primary for Philadelphia District Attorney on May 20, 2025.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Lawrence Krasner
Lawrence Krasner
 
64.4
 
97,636
Image of Patrick F. Dugan
Patrick F. Dugan
 
35.5
 
53,849
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
211

Total votes: 151,696
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Philadelphia District Attorney

Patrick F. Dugan advanced from the Republican primary for Philadelphia District Attorney on May 20, 2025.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Patrick F. Dugan
Patrick F. Dugan (Write-in)
 
100.0
 
6,167

Total votes: 6,167
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Judicial offices

Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas

Partisan election

General election
General election for Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas (11 seats)

The following candidates ran in the general election for Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas on November 4, 2025.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Sarah Jones
Sarah Jones (D)
 
10.3
 
241,680
Image of Lawrence M. Farnese Jr.
Lawrence M. Farnese Jr. (D)
 
10.1
 
236,712
Image of Kia Ghee
Kia Ghee (D)
 
10.1
 
236,557
Image of Will Braveman
Will Braveman (D)
 
10.1
 
236,168
Image of Deborah Watson-Stokes
Deborah Watson-Stokes (D)
 
10.1
 
235,932
Irina Ehrlich (D)
 
9.9
 
231,810
Jennifer Santiago (D)
 
8.2
 
190,751
Brian Kisielewski (D) Candidate Connection
 
8.1
 
188,109
Leon King II (D)
 
7.9
 
185,537
Anthony Stefanski (D)
 
7.8
 
183,245
Joseph Russo (D)
 
7.1
 
166,212
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
3,501

Total votes: 2,336,214
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas (11 seats)

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas on May 20, 2025.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Will Braveman
Will Braveman
 
11.2
 
103,441
Image of Sarah Jones
Sarah Jones
 
11.2
 
103,042
Image of Deborah Watson-Stokes
Deborah Watson-Stokes
 
11.0
 
100,952
Image of Kia Ghee
Kia Ghee
 
10.7
 
98,632
Irina Ehrlich
 
10.7
 
98,458
Image of Lawrence M. Farnese Jr.
Lawrence M. Farnese Jr.
 
10.7
 
98,327
Leon King II
 
10.0
 
92,483
Brian Kisielewski Candidate Connection
 
9.5
 
87,162
Anthony Stefanski
 
8.2
 
75,539
Image of Taniesha Henry
Taniesha Henry
 
6.6
 
61,041
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.2
 
1,484

Total votes: 920,561
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Note: Nine seats were on the ballot in the primary for the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas. Judges Abbe Fletman and Glenn B. Bronson originally filed for retention election, but withdrew their candidacies. Two additional seats were added to the general election ballot, meaning parties could nominate two candidates directly to the general election ballot, outside of the primary process.[1]

Retention election

Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas retention elections, 2025

  • Incumbents are marked with an (i) after their name.
Office Candidates
Abbe Fletman's seat

This general election was canceled.

Did not make the ballot:
Abbe Fletman (i)

Ann M. Butchart's seat

Green check mark transparent.pngAnn M. Butchart (i)
Christopher Mallios, Jr.'s seat

Green check mark transparent.pngChristopher Mallios Jr. (i)
Daine A. Grey Jr.'s seat

Green check mark transparent.pngDaine A. Grey Jr. (i)
Frank Palumbo's seat

Green check mark transparent.pngFrank Palumbo (i)
Glenn B. Bronson's seat

This general election was canceled.

Did not make the ballot:
Glenn B. Bronson (i)

Gwendolyn N. Bright's seat

Green check mark transparent.pngGwendolyn N. Bright (i)
Lyris Younge's seat

Green check mark transparent.pngLyris Younge (i)
Michael Fanning's seat

Green check mark transparent.pngMichael Fanning (i)
Rainy Papademetriou's seat

Green check mark transparent.pngRainy Papademetriou (i)
Scott DiClaudio's seat

Green check mark transparent.pngScott DiClaudio (i)
Stephanie M. Sawyer's seat

Green check mark transparent.pngStephanie M. Sawyer (i)
Susan I. Schulman's seat

Green check mark transparent.pngSusan I. Schulman (i)
Tracy Roman's seat

Green check mark transparent.pngTracy Roman (i)
Walter J. Olszewski's seat

Green check mark transparent.pngWalter J. Olszewski (i)


Philadelphia Municipal Court

Partisan election

General election
General election for Philadelphia Municipal Court (4 seats)

Amanda Davidson, Sherrie Cohen, Michael Parkinson, and Cortez Patton won election in the general election for Philadelphia Municipal Court on November 4, 2025.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Amanda Davidson
Amanda Davidson (D)
 
29.7
 
250,225
Image of Sherrie Cohen
Sherrie Cohen (D)
 
26.9
 
227,280
Michael Parkinson (D)
 
22.1
 
186,305
Cortez Patton (D)
 
21.2
 
178,470
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.2
 
1,359

Total votes: 843,639
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Philadelphia Municipal Court (4 seats)

Amanda Davidson, Sherrie Cohen, and Cortez Patton defeated Shawn Page and Qawi Abdul-Rahman in the Democratic primary for Philadelphia Municipal Court on May 20, 2025.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Amanda Davidson
Amanda Davidson
 
32.0
 
101,702
Image of Sherrie Cohen
Sherrie Cohen
 
21.7
 
69,136
Cortez Patton
 
20.0
 
63,745
Shawn Page
 
15.6
 
49,571
Qawi Abdul-Rahman
 
10.5
 
33,434
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.2
 
662

Total votes: 318,250
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Note: Three seats were on the ballot in the primary for the Philadelphia Municipal Court. Judge Martin Coleman originally filed for retention election, but withdrew his candidacy. An additional seat was added to the general election ballot, meaning parties could nominate one candidate directly to the general election ballot, outside of the primary process.[2]

Retention election

Philadelphia Municipal Court retention elections, 2025

  • Incumbents are marked with an (i) after their name.
Office Candidates
David Conroy's seat

Green check mark transparent.pngDavid Conroy (i)
Henry Lewandowski's seat

Green check mark transparent.pngHenry Lewandowski (i)
Jacquelyn Frazier-Lyde's seat

Green check mark transparent.pngJacquelyn Frazier-Lyde (i)
Martin Coleman's seat

This general election was canceled.

Did not make the ballot:
Martin Coleman (i)

T. Francis Shields' seat

Green check mark transparent.pngT. Francis Shields (i)
Wendy Pew's seat

Green check mark transparent.pngWendy Pew (i)


Additional elections on the ballot

See also: Pennsylvania elections, 2025

What's on your ballot?
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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 2020, its population was 1,603,797.

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.[3][4]

Demographics

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

Demographic Data for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia Pennsylvania
Population 1,603,797 13,002,700
Land area (sq mi) 134 44,741
Race and ethnicity**
White 39.3% 79.4%
Black/African American 41.4% 11.1%
Asian 7.4% 3.5%
Native American 0.3% 0.2%
Pacific Islander 0% 0%
Other (single race) 7.3% 2.4%
Multiple 4.3% 3.4%
Hispanic/Latino 15.1% 7.6%
Education
High school graduation rate 85.7% 91%
College graduation rate 31.2% 32.3%
Income
Median household income $49,127 $63,627
Persons below poverty level 23.1% 12%
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2015-2020).
**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.


See also

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Municipal government Other local coverage
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External links

Footnotes