How important was the 2024 primary election in Pennsylvania? Besides being another milestone in the presidential rematch between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, primary election voters yesterday decided to pit Republican David Sunday against Democrat Eugene DiPasquale for state Attorney General. That matchup could be democracy-level important, as The Citizen’s Larry Platt wrote earlier this year:
When one of the (gulp) nation’s leading presidential candidates has talked about terminating the Constitution, using the Justice Department to punish his political opponents, and deploying U.S. troops on domestic soil, who will be standing in the way of such Putinism? Who, in other words, will stand for the Rule of Law? Elected AGs, that’s who.
And yet: Here in Philadelphia voter turnout on April 23 was a paltry 17 percent. Ouch.
No doubt many people stayed away because the presidential candidates are already known. Some stayed away as a protest against President Biden’s support of Israel in the current conflict. Many mail-in ballots were invalid because they were not dated. Still, it is a shameful showing for America’s first city — and we must do better in November.
“Yesterday’s turnout made one thing clear: if voters are not motivated by their options, they’re not going to show up,” says Lauren Cristella, Executive Director of government watchdog group Committee of Seventy. “This is a demonstration of how many people regard this as their civic duty and will come out to vote no matter what. That about 75 percent of eligible voters don’t see the purpose in voting regardless of their excitement level is concerning, and all of us need to do more to make civic education and civic engagement a priority.”
Get ready now — make sure you’re registered to vote, that you sign up for a mail-in ballot, and that you know who’s running. You can start here:
PA ATTORNEY GENERAL
Former PA Attorney General (and later, Governor) Tom Corbett, describes the AG’s job this way: “You collect by suit and otherwise all debts, taxes and accounts due to the commonwealth, represent the commonwealth and law agencies in any action brought by or against the commonwealth, you administer the provisions relating to consumer protection and antitrust laws. That’s just a summary. There’s a lot more beyond that.”
“A lot more” includes, as The Citizen’s Larry Platt notes, protecting what we hold dear: “When one of the (gulp) nation’s leading presidential candidates has talked about terminating the Constitution, using the Justice Department to punish his political opponents, and deploying U.S. troops on domestic soil, who will be standing in the way of such Putinism? Who, in other words, will stand for the Rule of Law? Elected AGs, that’s who.”
Eugene DePasquale, Democrat
Having already run and won statewide, the former state representative (2007-2012) and two-term Auditor General (2013-2020) led the pack in name recognition. As the Commonwealth’s chief watchdog, DePasquale made headlines issuing groundbreaking reports that unearthed over 3,217 untested rape kits; three years later, that number had been reduced by 90 percent. He also uncovered 42,000 unanswered calls to the state child abuse hotline. Both of these reports led to significant changes in policies. As a three-term state rep, DePasquale came up short in his challenge to Congressman (and election denier) Scott Perry in 2020.
While he lacks prosecutorial experience, the Widener Law graduate, University of Pittsburgh professor and attorney in private practice argues that his insider Harrisburg knowledge gives him a leg up. Also to his advantage: his Pittsburgh base in a race overrun with Southeastern PA candidates. As AG, DePasquale says he will focus on reducing gun crime, increasing consumer protections such as student loan and healthcare access, and protecting LGBTQ and transgender youth in school.
Eugene DePasquale’s campaign website
Select endorsements: Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers, Central PA Building Trades, Human Rights Campaign, League of Conservation Voters, National Education Association
David Sunday, Republican
Since 2018, Sunday has been District Attorney of York County, where he served as chief deputy prosecutor under his predecessor. He gained notoriety after being appointed special assistant U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania to prosecute federal gang, gun and drug cases. As DA, he’s prioritized taking on the opioid epidemic, reforming the probation and parole system, and combating human trafficking. As AG, he’d be similarly law-enforcement focused. Sunday serves on the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing and the American Conservative Union’s prosecutor advisory board.
David Sunday’s campaign website
Select endorsements: PA Republican Party, Republican Attorneys General Association, Pennsylvania Sheriffs Association PAC
AUDITOR GENERAL
The office of the Pennsylvania auditor general, known elsewhere as a controller or auditor of public accounts, oversees how the Commonwealth spends taxpayer money. The office conducts audits of state schools, district courts, county offices and municipal pensions. Post-audit, they report their findings and make recommendations. A PA auditor general can serve for up to two four-year terms.
Timothy DeFoor, Republican
Tim DeFoor was elected PA’s auditor general in 2020, beating out current Philadelphia City Councilmember At-Large Nina Ahmad for the job by three points. The first person of color ever to fill a statewide row office, DeFoor has a long history of working in government. He began his career as a special investigator with the Office of Inspector General and later became Dauphin County controller, where he worked to create the county’s first audit division.
DeFoor mostly stuck to the basics as auditor general, such as auditing municipal funds, with one exception. He took the controversial step of closing his office’s Bureau of School Audits, laying off 11 workers, and handing the responsibility to the Department of Education. He also accused five Philadelphia-area school districts (and four more across the state) of increasing property taxes when they had sufficient funds; critics have said he misunderstood the budgeting process. During his reelection announcement, DeFoor said he has run the office “free of political and partisan influence.”
Timothy DeFoor’s campaign website
Select endorsements: Pennsylvania Republican Party
Malcolm Kenyatta, Democrat
Since 2018, Malcolm Kenyatta has been a state representative for North Philadelphia. When elected at age 28, he became the first openly LGBTQ+ person of color in PA’s General Assembly.
Kenyatta has been an outspoken advocate for voting rights and criminal justice reform. He was named both chair of President Biden’s Presidential Advisory Commission on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Black Americans and a member of the National Advisory Board for the Biden Harris 2024 reelection campaign. When he announced his run for auditor general, he said it was time for a younger generation of leadership, and promised to open a Bureau of Labor and Worker Protections to investigate union busting and wage theft. He says he would increase transparency among hospitals and care providers that use state dollars, review PA’s approach to gun violence reduction, and reclaim the office’s responsibility for school compliance audits.
In 2022, Kenyatta ran for the U.S. Senate and lost to John Fetterman in the primary. He also ran and won another term as state representative (see below).
Malcolm Kenyatta’s Auditor General campaign website
TREASURER
The Pennsylvania Office of the State Treasurer oversees more than $150 billion in state funds (including investments), receiving and depositing state monies. A PA treasurer can serve for up to two four-year terms.
Stacy Garrity, Republican
Current Treasurer Stacy Garrity is running for her first reelection campaign. Before joining elected office, she was a cost accountant at refractory powder manufacturer Global Tungsten & Powders Corp. A retired U.S. Army Reserve colonel, Garrity twice received the Bronze Star for exceptional service. As treasurer, she has worked to expand and reform PA 529 higher-ed saving accounts, upgrade her department’s unclaimed property system, signed and invested $20 million in Israel Bonds, and objected to ESG investing, especially when it comes to climate change.
Garrity is a member of the State Financial Officers Foundation (which also objects to climate change-based investing) and the inaugural chair of the ABLE Savings Plan Network, a National Association of State Treasurers group championing tax-advantaged savings for people with eligible disabilities.
Having backed Trump’s lie that he won the 2020 presidential election, Garrity became the first state official to endorse Trump for reelection.
Stacy Garrity’s campaign website
Select endorsements: Republican Party of Pennsylvania, Life PAC
Erin McClelland, Democrat
Erin McClelland is an addiction counselor and small business entrepreneur from Western PA who has worked as a practice improvement collaborative manager for the Institute of Research Education and Training in Addiction and in performance management in the Allegheny County DHS. Having run for Congress in 2014 and 2016, she is running for state treasurer to, her bio says, “improve government systems, processes, and policies while advocating for our public sector workers.” She would like to increase transparency and reform the state’s supply chain.
In February 2024, her campaign came under fire for accepting donations before she registered a fundraising committee.
Erin McClellan’s campaign website
U.S. SENATE
This contest came down to the two frontrunners: Democratic Senator Bob Casey and Republican challenger David McCormick. Both ran unopposed in the primary for their respective parties. This race is promising to be one of the country’s most expensive.
(John Fetterman occupies PA’s other Senate seat.)
Robert Casey Jr., Democrat
Bob Casey Jr. is running for his fourth term as Pennsylvania’s senior senator in the U.S. Senate. He’s the longest-serving Democratic U.S. Senator in PA history. The son of former PA Governor Robert P. Casey was first elected in 2006, beating conservative Senator Rick Santorum. Raised in Scranton, Casey attended law school at Catholic University and spent eight years in PA government as Auditor General and State Treasurer.
In the Senate, Casey is viewed as a moderate who champions policies protecting older people, children, people with disabilities and working-class families. He spearheaded the Stephen Beck Jr. Achieving a Better Life Experience Act (ABLE), which allows for tax advantage saving accounts for individuals to save funds for disability expenses. He is the chairman of the Senate Aging Committee and was instrumental in helping nursing homes and older adults during Covid and introduced the “Heroes Fund” in 2020 to provide premium pay to essential workers.
Most recently, Casey was a vocal supporter of Biden’s Build Back Better Plan, specifically a measure providing $250 million for states to expand care for older adults and individuals with disabilities.
A staunch Catholic who has long been considered anti-choice, he now supports a law that would guarantee abortion rights. Casey has a close relationship with President Biden and has strongly supported many of his policies, including lowering the cost of prescription drugs and passing infrastructure legislation.
Select endorsements: PA Democratic Party, National Democratic Committee, AFL-CIO, United Steelworkers, National Education Association (NEA), National Resources Defense Council, American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Giffords PAC (gun safety), Mayor Cherelle Parker
David McCormick, Republican
Washington, PA, native Dave McCormick is a businessperson, West Point graduate and Iraq combat veteran with a PhD from Princeton. McCormick served as Under Secretary of Treasury and Deputy National Security Advisor under President George W. Bush. In 2022, he ran in the Senate Republican primary and lost in a close race to Trump-endorsed Dr. Oz. (Oz then lost to Democrat John Fetterman.)
McCormick has taken a strong stance against China and advocated for removing the country from the World Health Organization and “revoking the benefits” of trade relations, including halting Chinese-to-U.S. import of solar panels, semiconductors and lithium batteries. Early in 2024, McCormick traveled to the Israel-Gaza border to emphasize his support of Israel and contrast himself to Biden, whom he said was doing too little for Israel. Following Super Tuesday, he endorsed Donald Trump as president.
McCormick retired in 2022 as an executive for the global hedge fund firm Bridgewater Associates. He’s a multimillionaire who has touted his PA roots in commercials. Although he currently has two homes in Western PA, he has long spent most of his time with his family in their Westport, CT mansion. (He also has homes in Dallas, TX, and Colorado; he recently sold his Manhattan condo.) McCormick super PAC Keystone Renewal has attracted attention for its large donations from Wall Street investors, including $18 million from Ken Griffin of Citadel, Steve Schwarzman of Blackstone, and Paul Singer of Elliott Management.
Select endorsements: Pennsylvania’s Republican congressional delegation, National Republican Campaign Committee
David McCormick’s campaign website
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
3rd Congressional District
Northwest, West and some of South Philadelphia
Dwight Evans, Democrat
Dwight Evans, U.S. Congressman from the 3rd District since 2016, is seeking his fifth term. Evans served as a PA House of Representatives member for more than 35 years and chaired the powerful Appropriations Committee for over 20 years. In Washington, D.C., he has worked to secure funding for affordable housing across Philadelphia. Evans has a $51 billion plan to address gun violence in the United States. He beat his opponent by nearly a 4-to-1 vote margin in his most recent reelection campaign.
Dwight Evans’ campaign website
Select endorsements: Congressional Black Caucus, League of Conservation Voters, PA AFL-CIO, National Education Association, UFCW 1176
5TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
Delaware County, an exclave of Chester County, a slice of Montgomery County, and a sliver of South Philadelphia
Mary Gay Scanlon, Democrat
Mary Gay Scanlon has represented the 5th District in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2019. Before running for Congress, she was a lawyer at Ballard Spahr and an attorney at the Education Law Center. She serves on the House Committee on Rules and the House Judiciary Committee and is a ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government. She has strongly advocated for President Joe Biden and helped secure an $80 million grant for SEPTA to invest in low-to-no emissions buses.
Mary Gay Scanlon’s campaign website
Select endorsements: Philadelphia Democratic Party, Delaware County Democratic Party, Philadelphia AFL-CIO, National Education Association, Moms Demand Action, Giffords, End Citizens United, Sierra Club
Alfeia “Alfe” Goodwin, Republican
Alfe Goodwin is a veteran Army chaplain, retired Philadelphia police officer, and ordained minister who’s volunteered with Girl Scouts of America.
No campaign website. Twitter / X.
Endorsements: Delaware County GOP
2ND CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
Northeast, some of North Philadelphia, and much of the River Wards
Brendan Boyle, Democrat
Brendan Boyle is running for his fifth term in Congress after being elected in 2014, and after seven years in the PA House of Representatives. Before serving in elected office, Boyle worked as a consultant for the U.S. Department of Defense. The son of Irish immigrants, he was the first person in his family to attend college, choosing the University of Notre Dame, then Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. He is the brother of current State Rep. Kevin Boyle, who lost his primary race after a highly publicized incident at a Montgomery County bar.
Boyle is known for championing income equality and expanded access to education and healthcare. He co-founded and chairs the Blue Collar Caucus, which focuses on stabilizing and growing manufacturing and business trades. He’s backed President Biden at every turn, joined progressives to introduce the Ultra-Millionaire Tax Act in 2021, and is currently a ranking member of the House Budget Committee. He’s also joined Congress’ Philadelphia delegation in seeking federal funding to remediate decaying Philadelphia school buildings.
Brendan Boyle’s campaign website
Select endorsements: Philadelphia Democratic Committee, Congressman Hakeem Jefferies, building and trade unions
PHILADELPHIA DELEGATES TO THE STATE SENATE
The PA Senate is the upper house of Pennsylvania’s legislative body, and the final stop for bills created in the house. Like the U.S. Senate, it is smaller than the lower house. Unlike the U.S. Senate, which gives each State two seats evenly, State Senators all represent proportional districts. Republicans currently hold a 28-22 majority, with 25 seats up for election in 2024.
Incumbent Democrats Nikil Saval (1st District), Sharif Street (3rd District) and Vincent Hughes (7th District) ran unopposed.
5TH DISTRICT
Parts of Northeast Philadelphia (Somerton, Bustleton, Pennypack Park, Torresdale, Homesburg, Bridesburg, including some of the River Wards of Tacony and Port Richmond)
Jimmy Dillon, Democrat
Jimmy Dillon joined the State Senate in 2022 with experience as a grant compliance manager for the School District of Philadelphia, the owner of Hoops 24/7 Basketball Academy, and a former Notre Dame point guard. He has sponsored and cosponsored a number of bills, including SB842, the “Respect the Whistle” act to enhance harassment protections for sports officials, and a bill to make June 2 “Jason Kelce Day.” He’s also a proponent of strengthening worker protections, gun regulation, health insurance benefits, and safeguarding elections from AI interference.
Dillon is the Democratic chair of the Communications and Technology Committee.
Joe Picozzi, Republican
Somerton native Joe Picozzi has been a senior advisor in strategic planning at the conservative think tank the Manhattan Institute, worked as an assistant to U.S. Rep. and former Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and is a graduate of Georgetown University. The Eagle Scout was a member of the Kappa Alpha fraternity.
According to The Northeast Times, Picozzi is “running to preserve the ‘Northeast Philly dream,'” is “‘appalled’ at the open southern border, adding that the U.S. does not know the background of those illegally crossing,” and “opposes Philadelphia being a sanctuary city.”
In a 2017 story, NBC10 reported that, at age 21, Picozzi had made a list of “30 Under 30” for Red Alert Politics, a conservative news and opinion website in Washington, D.C. The story said Picozzi served as the served as the youngest chair of the District’s Federation of College Republicans and worked on the 2016 campaigns for Bucks County’s Brian Fitzpatrick, U.S. Senator Pat Toomey and former President Donald Trump.
Picozzi’s concerns include quality of life issues such as litter, the cost of living, governmental accountability and potholes — along with crime. His candidacy announcement read, “We’re seeing shoplifting, car racing, burglaries and violent crime make their way from the inner city to our homes, in a way they never did 10 years ago.”
Joe Picozzi’s campaign website
REPRESENTATIVES IN THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State Representatives are all elected on even-numbered years to two-year terms. Some voters saw a single uncontested incumbent on the ballot for their district. Democrats in other parts of the city saw competitive races on their ballots, such as the three-way race in West Philly’s 10th district. Few Republicans ran in a handful of the 26 districts.
Whereas U.S. representatives each serve about 707,000 people, state reps serve small districts of about 62,500 residents, making them way too small for most media market advertising. The size makes these races much more grassroots, even personal. If you know the candidates in your area, it’s likely through door-knocking, house parties and community outreach rather than radio and TV.
Below are the Districts that had more than one primary candidate on the ballot. For the others, refer to the City Commissioners’ online list of candidates.
10TH DISTRICT
Parts of West Philadelphia, including Mantua, Powelton and parts of University City and Logan Square
Amen Brown, Democrat, incumbent
When Amen Brown joined the state senate in 2021, he was the third senator to serve the district in four years (after illegal dealings forced two predecessors to end their terms early). In the job, Brown has proven a moderate whose main issues are fighting crime, protecting victims and advancing development. These issues come to Brown somewhat naturally: As one of eight kids with a single job and incarcerated dad, the Overbrook High School grad lived with gun violence and poverty. Prior to elected office, he ran daycare centers and invested in real estate.
Brown ran for mayor of Philadelphia in 2023 and won 2 percent of the vote after a campaign mired in questions about his real estate dealings (and unpaid taxes) and lack of knowledge of the city budget.
Select endorsements: U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans, PA Sen. Sharif Street, PA Sen. Vincent Hughes, PA House Speaker Joanna McClinton
172ND DISTRICT
Parts of Northeast Philadelphia, including Fox Chase, Burlholme and Rhawnhurst, plus Rockledge, Montgomery County
Sean Dougherty, Democrat
Sean Dougherty is an attorney who resigned as a public defender to run for office after the video of current state Rep. Kevin Boyle’s bar incident circulated on social media. Dougherty holds a law degree from Temple and clerked under Dan McCaffery, now a state Supreme Court justice.
The 30-year-old son of PA Supreme Court Justice Kevin Dougherty is also the nephew of former labor leader John Dougherty, who was convicted on more than 60 counts of conspiracy and embezzlement in December 2023. (During Johnny Doc’s trial, Sean was repeatedly mentioned in connection with a no-show job.)
The Northeast Times wrote the Fox Chase resident’s priorities include public safety foremost, and abortion access, school funding, union jobs and “funding for Philadelphia police to train and retain officers and for public defenders’ offices to retain lawyers who he said have big caseloads but work for low pay.”
Select endorsements: Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5, building trades, Democratic state leaders
Aizaz Gill, Republican
Aizaz Gill is the president of the Burholme town watch who has worked in community outreach for former City Commissioner Al Schmidt, as City Councilmember Brian O’Neill’s reelection campaign manager, and as PA policy director for Business for America, a bipartisan coalition of business leaders promoting civic participation and voter turnout. A graduate of Father Judge High School and Chestnut Hill College, Gill moved with his family from South Asia to the Great Northeast when he was a child. His focuses include community safety, education — including school choice — reversing inflation, and impeaching Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner.
Aizaz Gill’s campaign website
Select endorsements: Philadelphia Republican City Committee
181ST DISTRICT
A slice of North Philadelphia around 10th Street from Spring Garden Street to Glenwood Avenue
Malcolm Kenyatta, Democrat, incumbent
Malcolm Kenyatta has been a PA state representative since 2018. Elected at age 28, he was the first openly LGBTQ+ person of color in PA’s General Assembly, where he chairs both the Subcommittee on Financial Services and Banking and the Subcommittee on Government Operations. Legislation he’s sponsored and cosponsored includes allowing Philadelphia to enact and enforce stronger gun laws, increasing transparency in campaign finance, codifying and expanding the Office of Environmental Justice, and LGBTQ+ centered issues such as protecting minors from conversion therapy and prohibiting health insurance providers from declining coverage to people on PrEP.
Kenyatta has also led in voting rights and criminal justice reform. He was named both chair of President Biden’s Presidential Advisory Commission on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Black Americans and a member of the National Advisory Board for President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’s 2024 reelection campaign.
In 2022, Kenyatta ran for the U.S. Senate and lost to John Fetterman in the primary. He also ran and won the Democratic nomination for PA auditor general (see above).
Malcolm Kenyatta’s campaign website
188TH DISTRICT
Parts of West and Southwest Philadelphia
Rick Krajewski, Democrat, incumbent
Rick Krajewski has served in the State House since 2021 upon defeating 35-year incumbent Jim Roebuck. The Bronx native came to Philly via Penn, stayed to work as a software engineer, then became a full-time community organizer, including at Reclaim Philadelphia.
Since joining the House, Krajewski, a self-described progressive, sponsored and cosponsored legislation to increase housing access, strengthen tenants’ rights, and protect vulnerable populations such as children of incarcerated parents, insured dependents and children with parents in custody battles. Krajewski’s platform includes expanding affordable housing, reforming criminal justice, and improving educational equity and access.
Select endorsements: Philadelphia AFL-CIO, Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, Teamsters 3012, 215 People’s Alliance, SEIU State Council, PA SNAP
Rick Krajewski’s campaign website
190TH DISTRICT
Parts of West Philadelphia, including Belmont Mansion and Malcolm X Park
Roni Green, Democrat, incumbent
Gwendolyn Veronica “Roni” Green has represented her part of Philly in the House since 2020. The Dobbins grad has worked with SEIU Local 668 as a business agent and field organizer. Legislation she’s sponsored and cosponsored include enacting a $15 minimum wage, establishing free broadband for residents of low-income housing, and offering loan forgiveness to PA nurses.
Select endorsements: PA Working Families Party, SEIU Local 668, Laborers’ District Council, Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, Philly NOW, Sen. Sharif Street, Sen. Vincent Hughes, Rep. Joanna McClinton
PHILADELPHIA BALLOT MEASURE: APPROVED
The Philadelphia election’s sole ballot measure read:
Proposing an amendment to The Philadelphia Home Rule Charter to provide for indemnification and defense by the City in connection with claims made against any registered community organization arising directly out of the lawful participation by such an organization in zoning matters and related land-use process; and providing for the submission of the amendment to the electors of Philadelphia.
This measure would change Philadelphia’s constitution to include legal protections for registered community organizations — RCOs — against developers who might sue them. RCOs, typically formed by unpaid residents, represent the voice of the neighborhood to companies interested in developing a residential or commercial project in their neighborhood. Crucially, the City requires a neighborhood’s RCO to participate in the zoning variance process.
At times, an RCO’s concerns can delay, change or prevent a development from progressing. Currently, a developer who wants to proceed without RCO approval (or retaliate against an RCO) can sue individual RCO members as a means to object to the RCO’s … objections. As most RCOs lack the deep pockets of developers, such a suit could stymie a neighborhood’s voice.
This amendment would indemnify RCOs from developers’ legal action and use city funds to provide defense on an RCO’s behalf, if necessary.
Perhaps unexpectedly, the Building Industry Association supports this ballot measure.
Correction: A previous version of this post incorrectly described Joe Picozzi’s stance on White flight.
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