The 2023 Philadelphia City Council election was held November 7, 2023; all seats on the Philadelphia City Council were up for election. The Democratic Party maintained its super-majority on the council. The election took place on the same day as the 2023 Philadelphia mayoral election and other local elections in the Commonwealth.
Background In 2019, Philadelphians re-elected Jim Kenney to a second term as mayor and four new councilmembers joined the city council. Katherine Gilmore Richardson and Isaiah Thomas were elected to at-large seats. Jamie Gauthier beat incumbent Jannie Blackwell in the District 3 primary and Kendra Brooks made history as the first third-party city councilmember in Philadelphia as a Working Families Party candidate.
In preparation for the 2023 Philadelphia mayoral election, four City Councilmembers resigned (Green, Domb, Parker, and Quiñones-Sánchez) to run or prepare to run for mayor. While three were still considering running (Gym, Oh, and Bass). Council President Darrell Clarke announced a special election to replace the members.
6th District Councilmember Bobby Henon resigned after being convicted of corruption charges and was replaced with Michael Driscoll. 2nd District Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson was facing bribery charges in the months leading up to the election, but was acquitted on November 2, five days before Election Day.
1st District Incumbent Mark Squilla ran for re-election.
Democratic primary Nominee Mark Squilla, incumbent councilor and majority whip
Withdrew Amanda Mclllmurary, cofounder of Reclaim Philadelphia (ran for an at-large seat)
Results
Republican primary Results
General election Results
2nd District Incumbent Kenyatta Johnson ran for re-election.
Democratic primary Nominee Kenyatta Johnson, incumbent councilor
Disqualified Aaron Humphrey, campaign manager Boogie Rose, community activist and former teacher
Results
Republican primary Results
General election Results
3rd District
Incumbent Jamie Gauthier ran for re-election.
Democratic primary Nominee Jamie Gauthier, incumbent councilor
Disqualified Mustafa Majeed, community activist
Withdrew Jabari Jones, trade association president (ran as an Independent)
Declined Amen Brown, state representative (ran for mayor)
Endorsements
Results
Republican primary Results
Third party and independent candidates Jabari Jones (Independent), trade association president
Disqualified Andre Kersey (Libertarian)
General election Results
4th District Incumbent Curtis J. Jones Jr. ran for re-election.
Democratic primary Nominee Curtis J. Jones Jr., incumbent councilor and majority leader
Disqualified Darrel Smith Jr., child welfare worker
Declined Alexandra Hunt, public health researcher and candidate for in 2022 (ran for controller)
Results
Republican primary Results
General election Results
5th District Incumbent Darrell L. Clarke retired. Clarke announced his retirement less than two weeks before the deadline to submit ballot petitions, in what media interpreted as an attempt to prevent state senator Sharif Street's preferred candidate from making the ballot. However, both Clarke's and Street's preferred successors failed to make the ballot, as did every other candidate except for one.
Democratic primary Nominee Jeffery Young Jr., attorney
Did not qualify Patrick Griffin, attorney Jon Hankins, pastor and member of the Pennsylvania Democratic State Committee Aissia Richardson, staffer for state senator Sharif Street Curtis Wilkerson, former chief of staff to incumbent Darrell L. Clarke
Withdrew Jose Miranda, former state representative and convicted felon Isa Matin
Declined Darrell L. Clarke, incumbent councilor and council president (endorsed Wilkerson)
Endorsements
Results
Republican primary Results
General election Results
6th District Incumbent Michael Driscoll ran for re-election.
Democratic primary Nominee Michael Driscoll, incumbent councilor
Results
Republican primary Did not qualify Russell Kubach, realtor
Results
General election Results
7th District The 7th district seat was filled by Quetcy Lozada in the 2022 special election. Lozada ran for re-election.
Democratic primary Nominee Quetcy Lozada, incumbent councilor
Eliminated in primary Andrés Celin, community organizer
Endorsements
Results
Republican primary Did not qualify James Whitehead, nominee for this district in the 2022 special election
Results
General election Results
8th District Incumbent Cindy Bass ran for re-election.
Democratic primary Nominee Cindy Bass, incumbent councilor
Eliminated in primary Seth Anderson-Oberman, community organizer
Declined Erika Almirón, candidate for an at-large seat in 2019 (ran for an at-large seat)
Endorsements
Results
Republican primary Results
General election Results
9th District The 9th district seat was filled by Anthony Phillips in the 2022 special election. Phillips ran for re-election.
Democratic primary Nominee Anthony Phillips, incumbent councilor
Eliminated in primary Janay Hawthorne, co-chair of New Leaders Council Philadelphia James Williams, former city council staffer Yvette Young, Pottsgrove School District facilities director
Endorsements
Results
Republican primary Withdrawn Roslyn Ross, nominee for this district in the 2023 special election
Results
General election Results
10th District
Incumbent Brian J. O'Neill ran for re-election.
Republican primary Nominee Brian J. O'Neill, incumbent councilor and minority leader
Did not qualify Roman Zhukhov, real estate professional and neighborhood watch group president
Results
Democratic primary Nominee Gary Masino, president of Sheet Metal Workers Union Local 19
Results
General election Results
At-Large Seats Philadelphia City Council has seven at-large seats, two of which must be represented by a minority party. Two at-large seats were temporarily vacant due to the resignations of Derek S. Green and Allan Domb to consider mayoral runs. They were filled in the special election on November 8, 2022. There will be three open seats in the 2023 election due to the resignations of Helen Gym and David Oh, and the retirement of Sharon Vaughn.
Each party may nominate five candidates for the general election. Voters can select up to five candidates in both the primary and general.
Democratic primary Advanced to general election Nina Ahmad, former deputy mayor, nominee for Pennsylvania Auditor General in 2020, and candidate for Lieutenant Governor in 2018 Katherine Gilmore Richardson, incumbent councilor Jim Harrity, incumbent councilor Rue Landau, community services attorney and former executive director of the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations Isaiah Thomas, incumbent councilor
Eliminated in primary Erika Almirón, community organizer and candidate for an at-large seat in 2019 Jalon Alexander, attorney Sherrie Cohen, former tenants rights attorney and independent candidate for an at-large seat in 2019 Luz Colón, former commissioner of the Governor's Advisory Commission on Latino Affairs (2015–2023) Wayne Dorsey Abu Edwards, political action chair of the NAACP Philadelphia chapter Christopher Gladstone Booth, public school teacher Ogbonna Hagins, activist Job Itzkowitz, director of Old City District John Kelly III, biomedical company CFO and son of Jack Kelly Jr. Amanda McIllmurray, cofounder of Reclaim Philadelphia Matthew Modzelewski, customer service professional Daniel Orsino, housing counselor and Republican nominee for the 1st district in 2019 Michelle Prettyman, educator and small business owner Charles Reyes, former Philadelphia Department of Education official Melissa Robbins, activist and Vice President of Advocacy and Public Policy at the Urban League of Philadelphia Eryn Santamoor, former chief of staff to then-councilor Allan Domb Curtis Segers, assistant elementary school principal Derwood Selby George Stevenson Donovan West, business owner and former CEO of the Pennsylvania African American Chamber of Commerce Deshawnda Williams
Did not qualify Terrill Haigler, community organizer and former sanitation worker Ronald Martin, security guard and small business owner Billy McCann Will Mega, activist and contestant on Season 1 of Big Brother USA Matthew Modzelewski, customer service professional Clayton Price Max Tuttleman, philanthropist
Withdrawn Michael Galvan, nonprofit executive and former Philadelphia Director of Education Policy
Declined Sharon Vaughn, incumbent councilor (2023–present)
Endorsements
Results
Republican primary Advanced to general election Jim Hasher, real estate agent, bar owner, and nominee for an at-large seat in the 2023 special election Drew Murray, Philadelphia Republican ward leader and nominee for an at-large seat in the 2023 special election
Withdrew after primary Frank Cristinzio Gary Grisafi, music teacher Mary Jane Kelly
Eliminated in primary Sam Oropeza, real estate professional, mixed martial artist, and nominee for Pennsylvania Senate's 5th district in 2022 special election
Declined David Oh, at-large councilor (2012–2023) (ran for mayor) (endorsed Oropeza)
Endorsements
Results
Working Families Party Advanced to general election Kendra Brooks, incumbent councilor Nicolas O’Rourke, director of the Pennsylvania Working Families Party and nominee in 2019
Endorsements
General election Results
Notes
References