Quick Facts
Biography
The 2015 Philadelphia mayoral election was held on November 3, 2015, to elect the Mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, concurrently with various other state and local elections. Heavily favored Democratic party candidate Jim Kenney won.
Incumbent Democratic party Mayor Michael Nutter could not run for re-election to a third consecutive term due to term limits in the city's home rule charter. Registered Democrats hold a formidable 7-to-1 ratio over registered Republicans in Philadelphia, giving Democratic candidates a distinct advantage in citywide elections.
The mayoral primary elections were held on May 19, 2015. 27% of the city's registered voters voted in the primaries. Democrats nominated Jim Kenney, a member of the Philadelphia City Council, as their party's nominee. Kenney won the primary in a landslide with 55.83% of the vote, defeating a crowded field of five other Democratic candidates, including Anthony H. Williams and former District Attorney Lynn Abraham. Republican Melissa Murray Bailey, a business executive, ran unopposed for the Republican nomination. Had she been elected, Bailey would have become Philadelphia's first female mayor, as well as the city's first Republican mayor in more than 60 years.
November 3 General election
Candidates
- Melissa Murray Bailey – Republican Party
- James Foster – Independent
- Osborne Hart – Socialist Workers Party
- Jim Kenney – Democratic Party
- Boris Kindij – Independent
Democratic primary
Candidates
Declared
- Lynne Abraham, former District Attorney of Philadelphia
- Nelson Diaz, former City Solicitor and former Common Pleas judge
- James F. Kenney, former Philadelphia City Councilman
- Doug Oliver, Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Communications at Philadelphia Gas Works and former press secretary for Mayor Nutter
- Milton Street, former State Senator and candidate for Mayor in 2011
- Anthony H. Williams, Minority Whip of the Pennsylvania State Senate and candidate for governor in 2010
Withdrew
- Jon Bell
- Terry Gillen, former Philadelphia Director of Federal Affairs and former Executive Director of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority
- Keith Goodman, pastor and candidate for Chester City Council in 2005
- Ken Trujillo, former City Solicitor
Declined
- Alan Butkovitz, Philadelphia City Controller
- Darrell L. Clarke, Philadelphia City Council President
- Dwight E. Evans, State Representative, candidate for lieutenant governor in 1986, candidate for Governor in 1994 and candidate for Mayor in 1999 and 2007
- Bill Green, former Philadelphia City Councilman and chair of the Philadelphia School Reform Commission
- Renée Cardwell Hughes, Chief Executive Officer of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Red Cross and former Common Pleas judge
- Kevin R. Johnson, Philadelphia clergyman and pastor of Bright Hope Baptist Church
- Sam Katz, businessman, public finance executive and Republican nominee for Mayor in 1999 and 2003
- Tom Knox, businessman, candidate for Mayor in 2007 and candidate for Governor in 2010
- Alba Martinez, former city Human Services Commissioner and former CEO of the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania
- Richard Negrin, Philadelphia Managing Director
- Frank L. Rizzo, Jr., former Republican Philadelphia City Councilman (running for the City Council)
- Jonathan Saidel, former Philadelphia City Controller
- R. Seth Williams, District Attorney of Philadelphia
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Alan Butkovitz | Darrell Clarke | James Kenney | Frank Rizzo | Milton Street | Ken Trujillo | Anthony Williams | Refused |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling* | May 27–28, 2014 | 916 | ± 3.2% | 12% | 14% | 7% | 10% | 4% | 1% | 2% | 41% |
| 22% | — | — | — | — | — | 11% | 67% |
- * Internal poll for the Alan Butkovitz campaign
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | James Kenney | Anthony Williams | Lynne Abraham | Undecided | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GBA Strategies* | April 9–15, 2015 | 587 | ± 4.1% | 26% | 25% | 22% | 18% | 9% |
- * AFSCME poll for the James Kenney campaign.
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | James Kenney | Anthony Williams | Lynne Abraham | Milton Street | Nelson Diaz | Doug Oliver | Undecided | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling* | released April 6, 2015 | 644 | ± 3.7% | 26% | 25% | 20% | 4% | 3% | 3% | 19% |
- * Public Policy Polling poll for the James Kenney campaign.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | James F. Kenney | 129,093 | 55.83 | |
| Democratic | Anthony H. Williams | 60,463 | 26.13 | |
| Democratic | Lynne Abraham | 19,430 | 8.40 | |
| Democratic | Doug Oliver | 9,823 | 4.24 | |
| Democratic | Nelson Diaz | 8,588 | 3.71 | |
| Democratic | Milton Street | 3,899 | 1.68 | |
| Democratic | Write-ins | 22 | 0.01 | |
| Total votes | 231,418 | 100 | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
Declared
- Melissa Murray Bailey, businesswoman
Declined
- Ronald D. Castille, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, former District Attorney of Philadelphia and candidate for Mayor in 1991
- Sean Clark, nonprofit executive
- Allan Domb, real estate developer and President of the Greater Philadelphia Association of Realtors
- Rhashea Harmon, attorney and nominee for the State Senate in 2010 (running as an Independent)
- Kelvin Jeremiah, President & CEO of the Philadelphia Housing Authority
- Sam Katz, businessman, public finance executive and Republican nominee for Mayor in 1999 and 2003
- Elmer Money, candidate for City Council in 2011
- Doug Oliver, Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Communications at Philadelphia Gas Works and former press secretary for Mayor Nutter (running as a Democrat)
- Dana Spain, businesswoman and philanthropist
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Melissa Murray Bailey | 12,486 | 99.69 | |
| Republican | Write-ins | 39 | 0.31 | |
| Total votes | 12,525 | 100 | ||
Independent
Candidates
Declared
- Rhashea Harmon, attorney and Republican nominee for the State Senate in 2010
Declined
- Bill Green, former Philadelphia City Councilman and former chair of the Philadelphia School Reform Commission
- Sam Katz, businessman, public finance executive and Republican nominee for Mayor in 1999 and 2003
- Dana Spain, businesswoman and philanthropist
