Your monthly support provides voters the knowledge they need to make confident decisions at the polls. Donate today.
Melissa Francis
Melissa Francis (Democratic Party) ran for election for judge of the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas in Pennsylvania. She lost in the Democratic primary on May 16, 2023.
Francis also ran for election for judge of the Philadelphia Municipal Court in Pennsylvania. She lost in the Democratic primary on May 16, 2023.
Elections
2023
Court of common pleas
Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judges Genece E. Brinkley, Joel S. Johnson, and Rayford A. Means filed to run for retention in 2023 but later withdrew.[1] As a result, 10 seats on the court were up in the primary election, but 13 seats were up in the general election on November 7, 2023. The Democratic Party nominated candidates James Eisenhower, Elvin Ross, and Raj Sandher to run for the additional three seats in the general election.[2]
See also: City elections in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (2023)
General election
General election for Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas (13 seats)
The following candidates ran in the general election for Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas on November 7, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Tamika Washington (D)  | 9.5 | 204,468 |
| ✔ |  | Natasha Taylor-Smith (D) | 9.4 | 201,305 |
| ✔ |  | Samantha Williams (D) | 8.9 | 190,770 |
| ✔ |  | Kay Yu (D) | 8.6 | 184,310 |
| ✔ |  | Brian McLaughlin (D) | 8.4 | 181,161 |
| ✔ | Chesley Lightsey (D) | 8.2 | 175,248 | |
| ✔ | John Padova Jr. (D) | 7.7 | 165,392 | |
| ✔ |  | Jessica Brown (D) | 7.2 | 155,170 |
| ✔ |  | Caroline Turner (D) | 7.1 | 152,850 |
| ✔ | Damaris Garcia (D) | 6.6 | 141,108 | |
| ✔ | James Eisenhower (D) | 6.5 | 138,927 | |
| ✔ | Elvin Ross (D) | 6.0 | 128,519 | |
| ✔ | Raj Sandher (D) | 5.8 | 124,315 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 3,961 | ||
| Total votes: 2,147,504 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas (13 seats)
The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas on May 16, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Natasha Taylor-Smith | 10.3 | 145,242 |
| ✔ | | Tamika Washington | 9.3 | 130,896 |
| ✔ | | Samantha Williams | 8.6 | 121,340 |
| ✔ | | Kay Yu | 7.8 | 109,961 |
| ✔ | John Padova Jr. | 7.2 | 100,946 | |
| ✔ | Chesley Lightsey | 6.5 | 91,646 | |
| ✔ | | Brian McLaughlin | 6.2 | 87,367 |
| ✔ | Damaris Garcia | 6.2 | 86,824 | |
| ✔ | | Caroline Turner | 6.1 | 86,095 |
| ✔ | | Jessica Brown | 5.8 | 81,517 |
 | Will Braveman | 5.6 | 78,447 | |
 | Wade Albert | 5.5 | 78,124 | |
 | Kenneth Joel | 5.0 | 69,900 | |
| Qawi Abdul-Rahman | 3.9 | 54,810 | ||
| Melissa Francis | 3.5 | 48,868 | ||
| Joe Green | 2.7 | 38,524 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 865 | ||
| Total votes: 1,411,372 | |||
| = 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
- MK Feeney (D)
- Colleen McIntyre Osborne (D)
- Aaron Bell (D)
Municipal court
See also: City elections in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (2023)
General election
General election for Philadelphia Municipal Court (2 seats)
Barbara Thomson and Colleen McIntyre Osborne defeated Rania Major in the general election for Philadelphia Municipal Court on November 7, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Barbara Thomson (D) | 50.1 | 208,221 |
| ✔ |  | Colleen McIntyre Osborne (D) | 39.0 | 162,250 |
| Rania Major (R) | 10.8 | 44,774 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 420 | ||
| Total votes: 415,665 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Philadelphia Municipal Court (2 seats)
Barbara Thomson and Colleen McIntyre Osborne defeated Melissa Francis and Rania Major in the Democratic primary for Philadelphia Municipal Court on May 16, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Barbara Thomson | 41.4 | 126,504 |
| ✔ | | Colleen McIntyre Osborne | 29.1 | 88,841 |
| Melissa Francis | 15.2 | 46,476 | ||
| Rania Major | 14.1 | 43,218 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 511 | ||
| Total votes: 305,550 | |||
| = 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
- Joe Green (D)
- Caroline Turner (D)
- Qawi Abdul-Rahman (D)
- Cortez Patton (D)
- MK Feeney (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Philadelphia Municipal Court (2 seats)
Rania Major advanced from the Republican primary for Philadelphia Municipal Court on May 16, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Rania Major | 97.9 | 10,429 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 2.1 | 228 | ||
| Total votes: 10,657 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Campaign themes
2023
Court of common pleas
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Melissa Francis did not complete Ballotpedia's 2023 Candidate Connection survey.
Municipal court
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Melissa Francis did not complete Ballotpedia's 2023 Candidate Connection survey.
See also
2023 Elections
External links
|
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
