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Lehigh Valley Politics and Election News

Democrat Cherelle Parker is elected as Philadelphia’s 1st woman mayor

Election 2023 Philadephia Mayor
Jessica Griffin
/
AP
Democratic candidate for Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker, right, hugs Ward leader Steven Jones, of the 52nd district, who campaigned for Parker, at Pinn Memorial Baptist Church on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023, in Philadelphia.

  • Democrat Cherelle Parker has been elected the first woman to be mayor of Philadelphia
  • She will be the city's 100th mayor
  • Voters who are worried about public safety liked her moderate message

PHILADELPHIA — Cherelle Parker, a Democrat who has held office at the state and local level after first becoming involved in politics as a teenager, was elected Tuesday as Philadelphia’s 100th mayor, becoming the first woman to hold the post.

Parker, 51, emerged from a crowded field of Democrats in the May primary and was heavily favored over Republican David Oh in the city, a Democratic stronghold. She will replace Democrat Jim Kenney, who was ineligible for reelection due to term limits.

She campaigned on a promise to make Philadelphia the “safest, cleanest, greenest big city in the nation that will provide access to economic opportunity for all.”

“We can’t solve these problems alone.”
Cherelle Parker, Philadelphia's mayor-elect

Parker, who served for 10 years as a state representative for northwest Philadelphia before her election to the city council in 2015, touted herself as a leader whose government experience would allow her to address gaping problems in the city.

“We can’t solve these problems alone,” she said in a previous interview. “We need federal, state and local government, along with the private sector and philanthropic communities, to help us address the public health and safety.”

Parker’s moderate message resonated with voters who are increasingly worried about public safety as well as quality-of-life issues, from faulty streetlights to potholes to trash collection.