Jim Kenney Wins Election, Will Be Philadelphia’s New Mayor

Longtime City Council member Jim Kenney will be the next mayor of Philadelphia, as per a resounding victory in the polls yesterday. Kenney earned 85 percent of the vote, entirely sweeping away his closest opponent, Republican businesswoman Melissa Murray Bailey. Philadelphia hasn’t had a Republican mayor since 1952. Outgoing mayor Michael Nutter was restricted by term limits.

Jim Kenney doesn’t have to campaign anymore – he just got elected mayor of Philadelphia.

Focuses of Kenney’s campaign included universal prekinndergarten education and a promise to continue to fight poverty. He has also said that he will push for bail reform, given that thousands of people linger behind bars in Philadelphia awaiting trial.

In his victory speech, which he gave at the National Museum of American Jewish History, Kenney stressed the need for cooperation to assure that goals were met. He said that, “If we all learn to see the world through one another’s eyes, then every Philadelphian will be able to walk our streets safely and with dignity.”