Philadelphia voters are expected to once again play a critical role this year in deciding who the next president will be and which party will control the U.S. Senate.
However, it’s already pretty clear who the nominees for those top-of-the-ticket national contests will be.
That means the marquee races in the upcoming April 23 primary are at the state and local level — in particular, the contests to see which Democrat and Republican will go head-to-head in the race for Pennsylvania Attorney General. The eventual winner could be well-positioned to run for governor in the future.
We’ve pulled together the candidates Philly voters will see on their ballots, including those running for Congress and the Pa. legislature, along with info on the city’s one ballot question and guidance on how and where to vote. Visit this article for voter information in Spanish.
Here is the Procrastinator’s Guide to the 2024 Primary Election.
Your polling place
Are you registered? You can find your voter status here. Where do you vote? Find that here, along with what ward and division you’re in. You can enter your address here to find all of your district and representation info.
If you go vote in person, polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Unless it’s your first time voting at a particular location, you do NOT need to show any identification.
Mail ballots
You don’t need a reason to vote by mail in Pennsylvania. The deadline to apply for a mail ballot is Tuesday, April 16. You can apply online, or you can apply and complete your ballot in a single visit to City Hall or the Satellite Election Office at 4029 Market St.
Ballots must be received by the Board of Elections by 8 p.m. on Election Day, which is Tuesday, April 23, so be sure to mail them early! Completed, properly sealed ballots can also be deposited in drop boxes around the city. Here’s a list of locations.
If you missed the deadline to apply for a mail ballot, you can submit an Emergency Absentee Ballot Application. See instructions and more information on mail ballots here.
You can’t drop a mail ballot off at a polling site on Election Day. However, if you decide not to use your mail ballot, you can surrender the ballot and envelope at your polling place and then vote in person. If you don’t have the ballot and envelope, you can follow the procedure for voting via Provisional Ballot.
Philadelphia and other jurisdictions in Pennsylvania recently redesigned their mail ballots to reduce voter errors and confusion. Here’s a description of the changes.
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Voters will weigh in on one proposed change to Philly’s Home Rule Charter. All registered voters can vote on the question, including those not affiliated with a political party.
The ballot question asks whether the city should provide financial and legal backing for Registered Community Organizations in relation to their work on zoning matters. Visit this article for more information on the question.
Democrats
Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (incumbent)
Philadelphia played a central role in Biden’s 2020 win, helping the Scranton-born Democrat reach the 30K-plus vote margin he needed to win Pennsylvania and thus the election. He’s since visited the city and the region many times to tout federally funded projects and campaign. He’s allied with many local Democratic officials, including Mayor Cherelle Parker, whose run he endorsed in November.
Dean Phillips
The Minnesota congressman ended his campaign in March and endorsed Biden, but will still appear on the ballot.
Republicans
Nikki R. Haley
The former South Carolina governor and U.N. ambassador will appear on the ballot despite having ended her campaign last month. She declined to endorse Trump.
Donald J. Trump
Despite losing Pa. in 2020, Trump actually won more votes in Philadelphia than he had in his previous run. He got almost 133,000 votes in 2020, compared to about 109,000 in 2016. He’s made a number of visits to the Philly area lately, mostly for campaign events outside the city, but also stopped by Sneaker Con at the Convention Center in February to hawk $399 Trump-branded gold sneakers.
Pennsylvania has one U.S. Senate race this year. Philly also has contests in its three U.S. House districts: two that cover most of the city and one that includes part of South Philly. You vote for one candidate on your party’s ticket.
U.S. Senate
Robert P. Casey, Jr. (Democrat, incumbent)
Casey, a Scranton native and governor’s son, is seeking his fourth term. He visited Philly in January for a campaign event with Mayor Cherelle Parker focusing on labor issues.
Dave McCormick (Republican)
McCormick is a former hedge fund CEO who narrowly lost the 2022 GOP primary to Mehmet Oz. He recently got a cheesesteak at Geno’s.
U.S. House of Representatives
2nd District
Brendan F. Boyle (Democrat, incumbent)
Boyle was a state rep for six years before becoming a U.S. House member in 2015. He’s supported Democratic causes like raising the minimum wage and protecting Social Security benefits, and won attention for mocking Trump by proposing the STABLE GENIUS Act, which would require presidents to undergo medical exams ensuring their fitness to serve. He’s a close Biden ally, and his brother is a Pa. state rep.
Aaron Bashir (Republican)
Born in Pakistan, Bashir came to the U.S. in 2001 after surviving a close call with a rare blood disease. Per his campaign website he has worked as an accountant, real estate investor, and professor, and is a Ph.D. candidate. His campaign platform focuses in part on his Christian faith, job creation, cutting taxes, and the needs of seniors, veterans, and small business owners. Bashir previously challenged Boyle in 2022, ran against his brother, state Rep. Kevin Boyle, and made a bid for City Controller last year.
3rd District
Dwight Evans (Democrat, incumbent)
Evans has served in the House since 2016 and before that was a state rep for 26 years. He also ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor, governor, and mayor of Philadelphia. His House website cites his support for gun law reforms like universal background checks, policing and criminal justice reform, reducing health disparities, and small businesses.
Tracey Gordon (Democrat)
Gordon became Philadelphia’s Register of Wills in 2019, when she ousted a 40-year incumbent, and was defeated for reelection herself last year by a party-endorsed challenger, John Sabatina. Gordon was criticized for hiring a former state legislator who had been convicted on bribery charges, and is being sued by several former employees who allege she fired them for not donating to her reelection campaign.
5th District
Mary Gay Scanlon (Democrat, incumbent)
Scanlon is a public interest lawyer who has served in Congress since 2018. Her priorities include voting rights, access to justice, education, supporting economic growth for her region, common sense gun safety, and ending hunger.
Alfeia Goodwin (Republican)
Goodwin is a retired Philadelphia police officer and former Army chaplain. She has a company that invests in tiny homes for veterans, according to her LinkedIn profile. When she previously ran for the Pa. House as a Libertarian, she reportedly said she stood for safer communities, election integrity, and defending the Constitution.
The attorney general is the state’s top prosecutor, tasked with investigating and charging thousands of criminal cases every year. Past AGs, including Josh Shapiro and Tom Corbett, have gone on to become governor.
Democrats
Keir Bradford-Grey
Bradford-Grey is an attorney who previously led the public defender offices in Philadelphia and Montgomery County. She says she would address challenges like stable housing and health care to reduce crime, defend reproductive rights, and address environmental issues that affect children. She’d be the state’s first Black attorney general.
Eugene DePasquale
DePasquale represented York County in the Pa. House, served as state auditor from 2013 to 2021, and ran for Congress against Rep. Scott Perry in 2020. He cited “protecting democracy” as his top priority, along with protecting abortion rights, consumers, and the environment, and ensuring public safety
Joe Khan
Khan is the former Bucks County Solicitor and worked as a prosecutor in the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. He ran for Philly DA in 2017 and came in second behind Larry Krasner. He’s said he would defend abortion rights, enact a “67-county” public safety strategy, focus on housing justice, enforce environmental laws and “stand up” to tech companies.
Jared Solomon
State Rep. Solomon has represented the 202nd Pa. House district in Northeast Philadelphia since 2017. He’s said he would promote preventative justice programs, partner with nonprofits to address the opioid epidemic, and go after gun manufacturers, absentee landlords, and other “special interests.”
Jack Stollsteimer
Stollsteimer has been District Attorney in Delaware County since 2020 and previously worked in the state Treasury and was a federal prosecutor in Philadelphia, leading a gun violence task force. He cites his work reducing gun violence in Chester, opposition to the Dobbs abortion decision, prosecution of polluters, and work to reduce the prison population and sue opioid distributors.
Republicans
Dave Sunday
Sunday is York County’s District Attorney and previously served as a prosecutor for the county and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. As DA, he says he helped cut crime by nearly a third in his first term, reduced the prison population, and instituted a successful anti-recidivism program. He’s endorsed by the state Republican party.
Craig Williams
Williams is a state rep for parts of Chester and Delaware counties who has served as a federal prosecutor, military prosecutor, and Marine. He previously ran for Congress in 2008. He was the lead impeachment manager against Philly DA Larry Krasner in 2022. Williams describes himself as a constitutional conservative who would focus on prosecuting violent criminals and felons in possession of firearms.
The auditor general is the state government’s spending watchdog, conducting some 3,500 audits a year of government agencies and programs. See this article for more detailed profiles of the candidates.
Democrats
Malcom Kenyatta
Kenyatta is a third-term state rep in Philadelphia and the first openly-LGBTQ person of color in the state legislature. He ran in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in 2022. He’s said he would “rebuild” the state auditor’s Bureau of School Audits, create an office of labor and work protections to oppose wage theft and other violations, and seek transparency on how hospitals and long-term care providers use state funds.
Mark Pinsley
Pinsley is the Lehigh County Controller and owns a dermatology supply company in Media. He ran for a Pa. Senate seat in 2022. If elected as auditor, he pledges to study the costs of underfunding public education, examine how the state supports and evaluates county election offices, check the effectiveness of workforce development programs, and evaluate state healthcare spending to find savings.
Republicans
Tim DeFoor (incumbent)
DeFoor was elected the state’s first Black auditor in 2020. He previously served as Dauphin County Controller, and as a special agent in the state Attorney General and Inspector General’s offices. As auditor, he says he has “transformed and improved” the way the office does school audits, and launched a statewide initiative to advocate for financial literacy instruction in K-12 schools.
The treasurer is the state’s financial custodian, who watches over more than $100 billion in taxpayer dollars. See this article for detailed profiles of the candidates.
Democrats
Ryan Bizzarro
Bizzarro has been a state rep for Erie County since 2013. His priorities as Treasurer would include protecting state assets and pensions from “waste, fraud, abuse, and greedy money managers”; protecting programs like 529 college savings plans, PA Able, and low-interest loan programs; and improving the program for returning unclaimed property.
Erin McClelland
McClelland is an addiction counselor, health program manager, and small business owner from the Pittsburgh area who has twice run for a congressional seat representing parts of Western Pa. Her campaign website says she’ll improve the state’s cybersecurity infrastructure, oppose pension privatization, and press solar panel makers and other companies to comply with labor and trade regulations.
Republicans
Stacy Garrity (incumbent)
Garrity was elected in 2020. She was previously an Army Reserve colonel and worked in government affairs at a metallurgy company, and she once ran for Congress. She says that, as Treasurer, she’s cut fees for PA 529 college savings accounts and for PA ABLE accounts for people with disabilities, upgraded the unclaimed property system, and returned military decorations to veterans and their families. She’s been criticized for endorsing Trump’s false claim that he won the 2020 presidential election.
Four state senators representing Philadelphia are up for reelection this year but none face primary challenges. There’s one Republican candidate, in the 5th District.
1st District
Nikil Saval (Democrat, incumbent)
Saval was elected in 2020 when he unseated three-term incumbent Larry Farnese in the primary. His campaign calls for making Pennsylvania “a leader in mass liberation” in its criminal justice system, increasing the supply of affordable housing, and transforming the state’s infrastructure to address climate change. He co-founded the progressive activist group Reclaim Philadelphia in 2016.
3rd District
Sharif Street (Democrat, incumbent)
The son of former Mayor John Street, Street served as a Senate staffer before being elected in 2016. He’s the chair of the Pa. Democratic Party, and ran for U.S. Senate in 2021. Street has introduced legislation to legalize recreational marijuana use, and in the past, worked to create the state’s health insurance exchange, combat climate change, reform the criminal justice system and gun laws.
5th District
Jimmy Dillon (Democrat, incumbent)
Dillon took office after winning a 2022 special election to replace John Sabatina, who resigned to become a judge. Sabatina wanted Dillon’s brother Shawn to take the job, but the latter dropped out after a Republican challenge to his campaign filing.
Jimmy Dillon was previously a grant compliance monitor for Philly’s school district and owner of a basketball academy. He touts his work to control rent increases, prevent minors from gambling, and protect sports officials from harassment. He said he supports “common sense” gun legislation that has passed in the Pa. House.
Joe Picozzi (Republican)
Picozzi is a first-time candidate who served on the Philadelphia Youth Commission after being appointed by Councilmember Brian O’Neill, according to the Northeast Times. He’s a Georgetown University graduate who worked as a staff assistant for former U.S. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and for the Manhattan Institute, a conservative think tank, per his LinkedIn profile.
Picozzi highlighted public safety at a recent candidates event, and says he’s focused on “fighting back against progressive prosecutors,” increasing funding for police and education, and reducing energy costs and Philly’s payroll tax.
7th District
Vincent Hughes (Democrat, incumbent)
Hughes has represented the 7th District since 1994 and previously served in the Pa. House. He chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee. Hughes touts his work crafting state budgets, expanding affordable housing, supporting violence prevention programs, and funding grants for small businesses. He’s married to “Abbott Elementary” star Sheryl Lee Ralph.
Philly has 26 districts in the Pa. House, some of which stretch into the surrounding counties. These seats are up for reelection every two years. Only five seats have competitive races; in the other 21, the incumbent or a single candidate is running unopposed.
10th District
Sajda Blackwell (Democrat)
Sajda “Purple” Blackwell is a West Philly-based community journalist, organizer and co-founder of the Blackwell Culture Alliance. She’s related by marriage to former Councilmember Jannie Blackwell and the late U.S. Rep. Lucien Blackwell.
The primary is a repeat of 2022’s, in which Blackwell finished third with 22.4% of the vote. She says she will advocate for gun control, financial literacy classes in schools and increased investment in affordable housing and mental health services.
Disclosure: Blackwell has worked with WHYY through the News & Information Community Exchange partnership.
Amen Brown (Democrat, incumbent)
Brown was elected in November 2020 as state rep in the 109th district and narrowly reelected to the newly-redistricted 10th in 2022. He also ran in the last year’s Democratic primary for Philadelphia mayor, finishing sixth. Before politics, he co-founded and ran daycare and afterschool programs.
Brown faced ballot challenges in his last two primaries as well as the current contest. He’s faced repeated allegations of misconduct in his business and real estate dealings and was criticized for not making required financial disclosures.
Brown’s agenda calls for investments such as more youth services, mental health care, and housing and job support to reduce crime. He favors more aggressive plans to address trash and blight, illegal ATV riding, and educational inequities, and expansion of clean slate laws and indigent defense.
Cass Green (Democrat)
Green came close to unseating Brown in 2022, falling short by just 183 votes. She is a community activist, artist and community organizer who co-founded Mill Creek Community Partnership.
Green says she’s for measures that offer “real affordable housing for all,” justice and safety reform that will “stop criminalizing poverty” and increased funding for schools, teachers and staff.
172nd District
Kevin J. Boyle (Democrat, incumbent)
Boyle is running for his eighth term as a Pa. state rep. His brother is Congressman Brendan Boyle.
Kevin Boyle failed to get the endorsement of his House Democratic colleagues this year after video emerged of him yelling at and threatening staff at a Montgomery County bar. He was previously arrested in 2021 for violating a protection of abuse order filed by his wife, and said he was being treated for mental health issues.
Boyle’s legislative website highlights his work on bills that would limit the size of firearm magazines, institute background checks on firearm sellers, and expand the state’s Hate Crimes Law to protect LGBTQ people. His legislative interests include education, equality, and economic development.
Sean Dougherty (Democrat)
Dougherty is the son of state Supreme Court Justice Kevin Dougherty and nephew of former IBEW 98 union leader John “Johnny Doc” Dougherty. He’s a law firm attorney, per his LinkedIn profile, and until recently worked for the Defender Association of Philadelphia. He previously clerked for Pa. Supreme Court Justice Daniel McCaffery.
Federal prosecutors in Johnny Doc’s trial said that from 2013 to 2015 Local 98 paid Sean Dougherty wages for weeks when he wasn’t actually working.
Dougherty says his priorities are keeping the community safe and the justice system fair; funding schools adequately; creating good-paying jobs with fair wages that support families; and protecting reproductive freedoms.
Aiziz Gill (Republican)
Gill is a consultant who has worked for former City Commissioner Al Schmidt and most recently for Councilmember Brian O’Neill’s reelection campaign. He immigrated with his parents from Pakistan when he was 9 and is president of the Burholme Civic Association.
Gill says he would support efforts to impeach District Attorney Larry Krasner and pass laws aiming to prosecute gun crimes, illegal firearm possession and drug dealing. He favors more school funding, school choice, and controls on state spending to help curb inflation.
Patrick Gushue (Republican)
Gushue is an Afghanistan combat veteran who served eight years as an Army ranger. The son of two Philly police officers, he is pursuing a master’s in Public Policy at Penn.
Gushue says he’s “not a career politician,” and told the Northeast Times that he supports veterans, public safety groups, school choice, public school funding and lower taxes on individuals and businesses.
172nd District
Malcolm Kenyatta (Democratic, incumbent)
Kenyatta is focusing on his bid for Pa. Auditor General (see above for info on that race) while also running for reelection. In 2018, he became the first openly LGBTQ person of color elected to the Pa. House. Last year he was the first openly LGBTQ person of color to run for a U.S. Senate seat, coming in third in the primary behind Conor Lamb and winner John Fetterman.
NaDerah Griffin (Democrat)
Griffin is a math and reading teacher who has taught in city schools, served as a project manager and instructor for the district’s Bright Solar Futures youth training program, and served as a board member at Serenity Solar. She ran for City Council last year.
Lewis Nash Sr. (Democrat)
Nash is the founder and pastor at Faith and Deliverance Kingdom Worship Center in North Philly. He previously ran for the same seat in 2018, losing in the primary to Kenyatta. He’s campaigning on creating “safer and cleaner neighborhoods, increasing funds for education, [and] expanding opportunity and prosperity.”
The Democratic City Committee removed Nash from his role as 47th Ward Leader after comments he made about LGBTQ people were caught on tape.
188th District
Rick Krajewski (Democrat, incumbent)
Rick Krajewski grew up in the Bronx, studied at Penn, and worked as a software engineer and a full-time community organizer with Reclaim Philadelphia. He was elected in 2020.
He describes his platform as “an agenda for mass liberation that puts people before profits.” It includes protecting workers’ rights, a Green New Deal for the state and ending the war on drugs.
Tony Dphax King (Democrat)
King is a self-employed contractor who previously worked in juvenile probation and detention for the city of Philadelphia. His campaign website says he’s running “to FIGHT the most HATED and CORRUPT city agency in the Delaware Valley: Philadelphia Parking Authority (PPA).” He accuses the PPA of issuing more tickets in poor neighborhoods and of waging “economic terrorism.”
190th District
G. Roni Green (Democrat, incumbent)
Green won a 2020 special election to replace Movita Johnson-Harrell, then lost to Amen Brown in that year’s primary. She gained the seat back in 2022 when Brown moved to the 10th district.
She was previously a human services caseworker and business agent for the SEIU union. Her legislative work has included proposing a 40-hour work week and a $20 state minimum wage.
James Love Jackson (Democrat)
Jackson previously ran for the same seat as an Independent in 2022. No further information on Jackson was available.
The uncontested races:
In most of the state House races the incumbent is the only candidate. In the 201st, Rep. Stephen Kinsey isn’t running for reelection, and just one candidate is running to succeed him.
170th District – Martina White (Republican, incumbent)
173rd District – Pat Gallagher (Democrat, incumbent)
174th District – Ed Neilson (Democrat, incumbent)
175th District – MaryLouise Isaacson (Democrat, incumbent)
177th District – Joe Hohenstein (Democrat, incumbent)
179th District – Jason Dawkins (Democrat, incumbent)
180th District – Jose A. Giral (Democrat, incumbent)
182nd District – Ben Waxman (Democrat, incumbent)
184th District – Elizabeth Fiedler (Democrat, incumbent)
185th District – Regina G. Young (Democrat, incumbent)
186th District – Jordan A. Harris (Democrat, incumbent)
191st District – Joanna E. McClinton (Democrat, incumbent)
192nd District – Morgan Cephas (Democrat, incumbent)
194th District – Tarik Khan (Democrat, incumbent)
195th District – Donna Bullock (Democrat, incumbent)
197th District – Danilo Burgos (Democrat, incumbent)
198th District – Darisha K. Parker (Democrat, incumbent)
200th District – Chris Rabb (Democrat, incumbent)
201st District – Andre D. Carroll (Democrat)
202nd District – Jared Solomon (Democrat, incumbent)
203rd District – Anthony Bellmon (Democrat, incumbent)
Biden and Trump have the presidential nominations pretty much sewn up ahead of the November general election, but there’s still a process where delegates formally select the nominees at each party’s national convention.
During Pennsylvani’s primary election, delegates running in each congressional district appear on ballots and voters select those they want to send to their party’s convention. The full list of those running to be delegates in Philadelphia’s three districts are at the bottom of this page.
Democrats also have superdelegates, who are often elected officials or Democratic National Committee officials, and can pledge their convention vote to whomever they prefer.
To be formally nominated, Biden will need the support of 1,969 of the 3,936 Democratic delegates at their convention in Chicago in August. Trump will need 1,215 delegate votes out of 2,429 at the Republic convention in Milwaukee in July.
