BREAKING: Cherelle Parker wins Philadelphia Democrat mayoral primary, promises to be tough on crime

Cherelle Parker was won the Philadelphia Democratic mayoral primary Tuesday night, defeating more progressive candidates. She will go on to face Republican David Oh in the fall contest as they vie to become the city's 100th mayor.

The former City Council member defeated nearly a half dozen viable candidates with the backing of many ward leaders, including progressive Helen Gym who took third place on the crowded field. Allan Domb, who also previously served on the City Council, Rebecca Rhynhart, who worked as the city’s controller, and businessman Jeff Brown were all bested by Parker.



Parker was endorsed in her bid by local trade unions, as well as Philadelphia's powerful ward leaders. She also earned the backing of prominent Democrats Reps. Dwight Evans and Brendan Boyle.

Tuesday night’s results demonstrated a shift toward the center for traditionally liberal Philadelphians who are sick of the massive crime wave and increased murder statistics in the City of Brotherly love.

Parker’s campaign focused on crime and education. She advocated for students to remain in school for the entire calendar year, in order to be better prepared to enter the workforce and become more well-rounded students by participating in more extracurricular activities. 

Parker vowed to deal with the violence that saw a murder rate in the hundreds last year, as Philadelphians have said that crime is the biggest problem the city faces. Addditional concerns include crumbling school infrastructure, educational decline, housing, shortage of city workers, and a major opiod epidemic that is wrecking havoc on the community.

The contest’s results also validated those advocating for the Democrats to move to the middle to appeal to undecided voters. 

Parker also advocated for an increase in public safety and pledged that if elected she would promote a “constitutional stop-and-frisk” policy to deter crime.

The campaign pledges resonated with moderates and undecided voters and Parker’s win stands in contrast to the victories of more progressive candidates in cities such as Boston, Chicago, and Los Angeles.

The win could be a signal of how the Democrats should approach the swing state in the 2024 election cycle as Pennsylvania is critical to both parties’ electoral prospects.

While Parker still has to win the general election, the city skews Democrat to such an extent that a win in the primary signals a likely win in the final contest.