🗳 Our Movement won big in Philadelphia and throughout the State! 💪🏽

On Tuesday, we made it clear that Philadelphia is now a two party city: Democrats and Working Families!

Reclaim endorsed candidates won big across Philadelphia. The progressive champions that won seats on our City Council include Kendra Brooks, Nicolas O’Rourke, Jamie Gauthier, Isaiah Thomas, Katherine Gilmore Richardson, and Rue Landau.

Together, we made history in Philadelphia and disrupted the status quo. From electing the first openly LGTBQ Philly councilmember to kicking Republicans out of the council seats they have held for 70 years! We’re also encouraged that the highest vote getter on city council is someone who has pushed forward policing reforms like the transformative Driving Equality Bill and rejects the practice of stop and frisk because of his own lived experiences. 

To all the members, leaders, and volunteers who joyfully joined us to write history together – we thank you! This victory could not have been possible without the hope and support YOU invested in our movement. 

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Our victories didn’t come easy — in the Primary and General Elections our candidates faced off against campaigns funded by Republican billionaire Jeffery Yass who wants to defund our public schools and buy our elections, Super PACs run by greedy real estate developers, Building Trades who are pushing for the Sixers arena against the voices of Chinatown, and a Democratic City Committee more focused on silencing progressive voices than on increasing Democratic voter turnout. But on Tuesday, our message and our voices won big!

Kendra Brooks and Nicolas O’Rourke’s victories are significant advances towards reclaiming our city government for everyday Philadelphians. Councilmember Brooks has been leading the way organizing to improve our public schools and protecting the jobs of public school employees, has been a critical leader in the fight to win housing as a human right and a powerful advocate for disability rights. Councilmember-elect O’Rourke brings his critical experience as a community and social justice leader to our City Council as the second-ever Working Families Party Councilmember. As of January 2nd, no Republicans will represent us as at-large Councilmembers and this is a resounding victory for everyone who believes in racial, economic and gender justice. We know that the accountability needed for elected Democrats in this city has never come from Republicans — it’s going to come from progressive Black and Brown voices like Kendra and Nicolas, and the voters who rallied behind them!

Our endorsed Democratic Councilmember candidates Jamie Gauthier, Isaiah Thomas, Katherine Gilmore Richardson, and Rue Landau will continue on to represent us and our movement in Council, and will be critical allies in the years ahead. 

Our recommended candidates for judges at the state level swept their races. Daniel McCaffery won his PA Supreme Court seat, strengthening the Democratic majority and ensuring that our highest court will rule with us when it comes to reproductive and voting rights in the state. Housing justice champion Matt Wolf won his race, keeping that seat for Democrats on the 5-3 Republican majority Commonwealth Court. Jill Beck and Timika Lane have won the two open seats on Superior Court, solidifying a Democrat majority. In a win for our city, 3 of these judges are from Philadelphia. Timika Lane will now be one of only 3 Black justices on the state courts! She now joins Judges Carolyn Nichols and Lori Dumas, both Philadelphia natives previously recommended by Reclaim Philadelphia.  

Locally, our endorsed candidates for judges cruised to an expected victory. Congratulations to Tamika Washington, Natasha Taylor-Smith, Samantha Williams, Kay Yu, John Padova, Jessica Brown, and Caroline Turner. They will now grow our bench of Reclaim endorsed justices in the first judicial district to 25! 

This election was our first attempt at kicking bad judges off the courts through judicial retention. Although every judge up for retention won as expected, we have hope for the future. We saw an organic coalition of movement organizations, wards, and news editorial boards join together to say no to judges for the first time. The candidates we recommended NO votes for got 10% less YES votes on average than candidates we didn’t weigh in on. This even in the face of the Democratic City Committee ballot which pushed for yes retention votes for all judges, even the republican and bad judges. If these voting trends and coalitions continue to grow, the possibility of a judge losing a retention vote in the future is shifting from hypothetical to certain. 

And finally, our recommendation of a YES vote for the ballot question passed with nearly 86% of the vote! It was introduced by our general election winner Councilmember Kendra Brooks and will permanently establish an Office for People with Disabilities in the city charter. This office will now continue the crucial work connecting folks with benefits and resources available to them through the Fair Housing Act and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and other laws that protect the civil rights of people with disabilities. 

And finally, an important milestone for Reclaim Philadelphia: our ballot guide, which combines our member endorsements and recommendations, was viewed by 12,000 Philadelphians on Tuesday. As we continue to talk to our neighbors, build relationships and act together to change our City, Reclaim Philadelphia will continue to grow as the political home for those who believe in building a city where all of us can thrive. To ensure we make it there, 

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If you’re already a member, consider making a contribution today to ensure that we’re ready for the critical elections coming next year! From protecting and expanding our base in Harrisburg to electing movement champions to higher offices. If you’re passionate about electing more leaders like Kendra and Nicolas, consider joining our Movement Politics Taskforce. Your investments in our movement now will make what is considered impossible, possible in the future. 

In Solidarity,

Sergio Cea, Political Director