Election Day 2015: Philly to Elect New Mayor

It’s Election Day, Philadelphia! Time to turn out to the polls and elect some of your new city officials. Certainly not the least among those votes that will be made today is for the city of Philadelphia’s mayor. Current mayor Michael Nutter, being term-limited, cannot run again.

It’s Election Day, and Philadelphia will soon have a new mayor. Will it be front-runner Jim Kenney?

The heavily-favored front-runner for the mayoral office is Democrat Jim Kenney. He is running on a platform of promising to fight poverty. Philadelphia hasn’t had a Republican mayor since 1952, and there’s little reason to believe that trend will be broken this time around. Rounding out the race are Republican business executive Melissa Murray Bailey, two independents, and a socialist. Jim Kenney has dozens of endorsements going for him, including the biggest one of all – President Barack Obama issued a statement endorsing the Democratic nom, praising his “dedication and commitment” and calling him “a champion for the working and middle class families that make up the backbone of our nation.”

It isn’t just the mayor’s seat on the ballot – 17 city council seats are also up for grabs, and three justices must be chosen to fill the Philadelphia Supreme Court.

Polls are open from 7 AM until 8 PM in Pennsylvania and from 6 AM until 8 PM in New Jersey. Within Philly, District Attorney Seth Williams and the Committee of Seventy will be working hard to ensure that they see no fraud at polling locations. A report from 6abc news stated that “dozens of assistant district attorneys and detectives will be on hand available to respond to allegations of voter intimidation or any other issues.”

Do your civic duty and get out there to vote!