PA’s Primary Revealed Two Democratic Parties

Pennsylvania’s primary reinforced recent trends, but it also showcased two very different faces of the Democratic Party – courtesy of the mayor’s race in Philadelphia and the county executive and district attorney’s race in Allegheny County.

Openly progressive candidates won both races in Allegheny County – as has been the case in contested Democratic primaries in recent years in races for legislative and congressional seats. Yet, in Philadelphia, Cherelle Parker, an African-American candidate who pledged to fight crime and reinstate “stop and frisk,” won a multi-candidate primary by a margin of more than 10 points over her openly progressive opponent.

Allegheny County results include both Pittsburgh and the suburbs. Suburban Democrats here are overwhelmingly progressive; they are true believers. This is especially the case with newer residents who are replacing old-school, blue-collar Democrats.

In Pittsburgh, the energy and activism are based in the progressive movement. Over the years the old-guard (predominantly white) has not built true alliances with black communities. As a result, a weakened old guard candidate fighting against better-funded, more energetic progressives leads to progressive victories. Add in the progressive suburbs, and it’s no wonder that almost all of the recently nominated Democrats in the county sound more like U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and U.S. Sen. John Fetterman than old school stalwarts like the Zappala and Costa political families.

Yet, in Philadelphia, it was a different story. A small part of Parker’s win – powered by support from the black community and the building trades – can be traced back to the mayoral election of 1987. Incumbent Wilson Goode (African-American and Democrat) was challenged by Frank Rizzo (former mayor and a white Republican). Then party Democratic Party chairman (and future congressman) Bob Brady, who is white, spent countless hours visiting bars and union halls in white Democratic strongholds in South Philly, Grays Ferry, and the “river wards,” making the case for Goode, trying to move the needle a few points. Goode won by 2.8 points. Brady’s work helped hold together the Democratic Party – and laid the groundwork for the Parker coalition a generation later.

Progressives in Philadelphia are true believers, too. Many aren’t interested in building coalitions with old school Democrats, and many of their goals clash with those of workers in the building trades. And, most notably, they have not built alliances with the black community. A progressive candidate even challenged old school, African American leader state Sen. Tony Williams for his seat in Southwest and West Philly. Williams won, in part because his family has served that community since the 1970s — his father having been a state senator and former mayoral candidate. That was a bad strategic decision by the progressives.

So, progressives have grabbed hold of the Democratic Party in Allegheny County, but have not fully grabbed power in Philadelphia —even though many progressives hold seats in Philly’s city council, and District Attorney Larry Krasner is nationally known as the prosecutor criminals love. 2023 saw a pushback in the City of Brotherly Love, led by a blue-collar and black alliance.

The long-term questions are: Will Philadelphia’s Democratic Party unify progressives, blue-collar workers, and African Americans? Or will the Brady/Parker blue-collar and black coalition stay together while splitting from the progressives? Will progressives continue to go it alone, or will they try coalition-building instead of ideological purity?

In Allegheny County, will progressives continue to win multi-candidate primaries, or are there enough African-American and blue-collar Democratic voters to unite together and push back against the progressives? Alternatively, if the progressives do continue winning primaries, can Republicans forge alliances with disaffected Democratic voters?

The answers to these questions merit our attention in the near future, especially this November in Allegheny County. The progressive, Soros-backed candidate for District Attorney, Matt Dugan, defeated the incumbent traditional, “crime fighting DA, Stephen Zappala. Yet, Zappala secured the Republican nomination. So, its a “do-over” but with Republicans and Independents voting. The first test of coalition-building will play-out before our eyes.