Deborah Watson-Stokes
Deborah Watson-Stokes (Democratic Party) is a judge-elect of the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas in Pennsylvania. She assumes office on January 5, 2026.
Watson-Stokes (Democratic Party) ran for election for judge of the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas in Pennsylvania. She won in the general election on November 4, 2025.
Elections
2025
See also: City elections in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (2025)
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 | ||
| ✔ |  | Sarah Jones (D) | 10.3 | 241,680 |
| ✔ |  | Lawrence M. Farnese Jr. (D) | 10.1 | 236,712 |
| ✔ |  | Kia Ghee (D) | 10.1 | 236,557 |
| ✔ |  | Will Braveman (D) | 10.1 | 236,168 |
| ✔ |  | 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)  | 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 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 | ||
| ✔ | | Will Braveman | 11.2 | 103,441 |
| ✔ | | Sarah Jones | 11.2 | 103,042 |
| ✔ | | Deborah Watson-Stokes | 11.0 | 100,952 |
| ✔ | | Kia Ghee | 10.7 | 98,632 |
| ✔ | Irina Ehrlich | 10.7 | 98,458 | |
| ✔ | | Lawrence M. Farnese Jr. | 10.7 | 98,327 |
| ✔ | Leon King II | 10.0 | 92,483 | |
| ✔ | Brian Kisielewski | 9.5 | 87,162 | |
| ✔ | Anthony Stefanski | 8.2 | 75,539 | |
 | Taniesha Henry | 6.6 | 61,041 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 1,484 | ||
| Total votes: 920,561 | |||
| = 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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Sherrie Cohen (D)
- Elliott Williams (D)
- Qawi Abdul-Rahman (D)
- Michael Parkinson (D)
- Mike Huff (D) (Unofficially withdrew)
Endorsements
Watson-Stokes received the following endorsements.
2015
- See also: Pennsylvania judicial elections, 2015
Pennsylvania's judicial elections included a primary on May 19, 2015, and a general election on November 3, 2015. The filing deadline for candidates was March 11, 2015.
The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary.
Campaign themes
2025
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Deborah Watson-Stokes did not complete Ballotpedia's 2025 Candidate Connection survey.
Education
Watson-Stokes received a bachelor's degree in political science from Michigan State University and a J.D. from Catholic University of America.[1]
Career
Watson-Stokes worked for over 20 years for the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office. She was a part of the homicide unit and was assistant chief of the South West Unit.[1]
Noteworthy events
Stokes fined by ethics board for planning fundraising retirement party
In April 2015, the Philadelphia Board of Ethics fined Stokes $300 for ethics violations. Stokes, who retired from the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office in order to run for the court of common pleas, planned a retirement party that would double as a fundraising event for her campaign. According to the board's settlement agreement, Stokes gave out fliers for the party that asked attendees for a $60 donation.[2] Making the party a fundraiser and circulating fliers promoting the fundraiser were separate offenses which each carried a $300 fine. The board lowered each fine by half, "to reflect Ms. Watson-Stokes’ cooperation with the Board’s investigation."[3]
See also
2025 Elections
External links
|
Candidate Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas |
Personal |
Footnotes
Federal courts:
Third Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Middle District of Pennsylvania, Western District of Pennsylvania • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Middle District of Pennsylvania, Western District of Pennsylvania
State courts:
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania • Pennsylvania Superior Court • Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court • Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas • Pennsylvania Magisterial Districts
State resources:
Courts in Pennsylvania • Pennsylvania judicial elections • Judicial selection in Pennsylvania
