Former City Councilmember Cherelle Parker on Wednesday publicized an endorsement from the Philadelphia Building Trades Council, which has long been one of the most influential endorsements in city politics, ahead of the May Democratic primary for mayor. The Trades Council, which is home to more than 30 individual unions, spent a serious amount of money in 2015 to help now-Mayor Jim Kenney win his primary, and it’s deployed resources in other state and local contests.
However, the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Sean Walsh notes that the race to succeed the termed-out Kenney will be a test to see if the Trades Council has maintained its power following longtime leader John Dougherty’s 2021 departure following his conviction for federal bribery charges. The article adds that Dougherty’s old union, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 98, was one of just two that abstained from endorsing Parker, which Walsh says “opened up the question of whether” it will “commit the same level of resources to her as it did Kenney.”
The Trades Council’s new president, Ryan Boyer, also said Wednesday that this endorsement comes at a time when Parker doesn’t appear to be the favorite. “It’d be very easy for us to just take a poll, and we get on the so-called frontrunner,” Boyer said, adding, “But these building trades have never been a thermometer, where we measure stuff. We’re a thermostat, and we’re going to turn it up.”
Parker is one of nine candidates competing in a primary where it takes just a plurality to win the all-important Democratic nod, but former Lt. Gov. Mike Stack said Tuesday that he would not be candidate number 10. It’s unlikely anyone serious will mount a last-minute campaign, either: Contenders have until March 7 to submit at least 1,000 valid signatures, and BillyPenn says they’ll likely collect far more both to shield themselves from any challenges and “as a chest-beating display.”