Leon King II
Leon King II (Democratic Party) is a judge-elect of the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas in Pennsylvania. King assumes office on January 5, 2026.
King (Democratic Party) ran for election for judge of the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas in Pennsylvania. King 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 | |||
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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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates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
King 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.
2013
King ran unsuccessfully for election to the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas.[1] He was defeated in the Democratic primary on May 21, 2013, after receiving 4.4 percent of the vote.[2]
- See also: Pennsylvania judicial elections, 2013
2011
King ran for an open seat on the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas. He lost the Democratic Party primary to a number of candidates on May 17. He received 1.2 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary.[3] He only filed with the Democratic Party.[4]
- See also: Pennsylvania judicial elections, 2011
Campaign themes
2025
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Leon King II did not complete Ballotpedia's 2025 Candidate Connection survey.
Education
King earned his B.A. in political science from the University of Massachusetts in 1988 and his J.D. from the Temple University, School of Law in 1991.[5]
Career
- 2009-Present: Attorney, Law Offices of Leon A. King II
- 2009-Present: Associate teaching professor, Drexel University
- 2008-2009: City council, City of Philadelphia
- 2002-2008: Commissioner, Philadelphia Prison System
- 1997-2002: General counsel, Philadelphia Prison System
- 1993-2002: Deputy city solicitor, City of Philadelphia - Law Department
- 1991-1993: Assistant city solicitor, City of Philadelphia - Law Department[5]
Awards and associations
- 2010: Dedicated Service Award, Grand Army of the Republic Museum and Library
- 2008: Kiyoshi Kuromiya Award, AIDS Education Month, Philadelphia FIGHT
- 2008: Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition, United States Congress
- 2008: Certificate of Congratulations, Senate of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
- 2007: Citation of Recognition, City Council of Philadelphia
- 2007: Appreciation Award, The Brothers of Flight 93
- 2007: Appreciation Award, City of Philadelphia Prison System Asian Planning Committee
- 2007: Sharpshooter, Glock 17, City of Philadelphia Prison System Training Academy
- 2006: Certificate of Appreciation, United States Army, Freedom Team Salute
- 2005: Recognition Award, University of Pennsylvania, Department of Criminology
- 2005: Equal Justice Award, Community Legal Services
- 2005: Youth Champion Award, School District of Philadelphia, Pennypack House School
- 2004: Certificate of Congratulations, Senate of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania[5]
See also
2025 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ The Public Record, "Will Ethnic Vote Help Judicial Hopeful?" April 4, 2013
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "Unofficial Election Returns - 2013 Municipal Primary, Court of Common Pleas," May 21, 2013
- ↑ Philadelphia County Bureau of Elections, "Unofficial Election Results"
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "2011 Primary Candidates" (Scroll to page 7)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Leon King campaign website, "About," accessed June 1, 2015
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
