The only thing certain in the Nov. 5 election for at-large City Council seats is that the five Democrats will win easily, based on their party’s huge voter-registration advantage.
For almost seven decades, Republicans have won the other two seats.
This year, there are 17 candidates for seven seats. Voters can pick five.
Republican Councilmen Al Taubenberger and David Oh and candidates Dan Tinney, Matt Wolfe and Bill Heeney are joined by the Democrats, along with the Working Families Party’s Kendra Brooks and Nicolas O’Rourke, independents Joe Cox and Clarc King, A Better Council’s Sherri Cohen, Libertarian Maj Toure and Term Limits Philadelphia’s Steve Cherniavsky.
Brooks and O’Rourke are given the best shot at toppling the Republicans. They have been endorsed by numerous liberal organizations and unions, along with state Sen. Art Haywood and state Reps. Chris Rabb, Movita Johnson-Harrell, Brian Sims, Elizabeth Fiedler and Malcolm Kenyatta.
Additionally, Brooks has backing from U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Councilwoman Helen Gym.
To gauge how the race will turn out, it’s worth taking a look at the 2015 results. Oh and Taubenberger won with 34,887 and 34,711 votes, respectively. Minor-party candidate Andrew Stober ran a spirited campaign and finished with 16,301 votes.
The Republican candidates should benefit from straight-party voting. Four years ago, estimates are that close to 20,000 people voted the straight GOP ticket.
Are Republicans worried? They are concerned billionaire George Soros could dump some money in the race to support Brooks and O’Rourke.
“He’s the same guy who gave us Larry Krasner,” Taubenberger said of the district attorney.
Heeney believes there are enough Republicans and “blue dog” Democrats in the Northeast, river wards, Roxborough and South Philadelphia to thwart Brooks and O’Rourke.
“It’s something Republicans should be worried about in the future,” he said. “Four years from now, we could have a problem on our hands.”
Wolfe noted that Democratic party boss Bob Brady has not embraced Brooks and O’Rourke, perhaps hoping that straight-party voting will help the Democratic candidates for Superior Court.
In addition, Wolfe believes the GOP candidates have the ward infrastructure and enough money to run winning campaigns.
“The five Republicans are all out there hustling,” he said, before adding about Brooks and O’Rourke, “we’re not taking them for granted.”
The Republicans believe the election of Brooks and/or O’Rourke would be bad for the city.
Wolfe, noting Philadelphia’s status as the poorest big city in America, claims Working Families Party policies would chase businesses out of the city, leading to higher taxes.
Heeney said Republicans on Council could offer dissent, contending Brooks and O’Rourke would not.
“It’s socialism. It’s Helen Gym stacking City Council for more power,” he said.
Taubenberger said Brooks and O’Rourke should have run in the Democratic primary, or under the “Ultra-Left Socialist Party.” He thinks Republicans need to keep the two seats to entice entrepreneurs, small businesses and big businesses such as Amazon.
Taubenberger doesn’t think the Working Families Party candidates will do well in the Northeast. He is confident in his re-election because he has the backing of labor unions, the police and firefighters unions and the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce.
Republicans and moderate Democrats in places like the Northeast and South Philly can make the difference for the GOP candidates, in Taubenberger’s view. He calls those voters “the real working families.”
“They have to come out in big numbers,” he said.
Oh and Tinney declined comment. ••
