Voters elect Democrat Cherelle Parker as Philadelphia’s 100th mayor — and the 1st woman

By BROOKE SCHULTZ
Associated Press/Report for America

Pennsylvania voters have elected women for the first time to lead Philadelphia and the state’s second-largest county, which includes Pittsburgh. Cherelle Parker will become the 100th mayor of the state’s largest city, and Sara Innamorato will be executive of Allegheny County. The races will set the electoral stage for 2024, when Pennsylvania will be a presidential battleground state, with candidates taking lessons about how Democrats see crime and the strength of progressives in local races. Also in Allegheny County, voters reelected longtime incumbent Steve Zappala as district attorney over Matt Dugan, a progressive Democrat who defeated him in the May Democratic primary. Zappala ran as a Republican in the general election.