•Philadelphia Mayor: None of the candidates in the May 19 Democratic primary have been incredible fundraisers, but super PACs are rushing in to fill the void. As we've noted before, the wealthy founders of Susquehanna International Group have already committed $250,000 to their group "American Cities" in support of state Sen. Anthony Hardy Williams, who shares their views on Michelle Rhee-esque education reform.
And they're capable of spending a whole lot more. As Patrick Kerkstra reminds us in an excellent article at Philadelphia Magazine, this group spent $5 million on Williams' 2010 gubernatorial bid. Back then, Williams was a longshot who badly trailed in all public polls and only took a distant third-place in the primary (though he easily carried Philadelphia). Now that Williams can actually win, we might see even more money coming in to help him. Like-minded groups may also join in to help Williams, whose support for vouchers and charter school expansion is well known. By contrast, the rest of the primary field (former District Attorney Lynne Abraham; former Judge Nelson Diaz; former Councilor Jim Kenney; and former mayoral aide Doug Oliver) have all come out against more charter schools.
But as Kerkstra tells us, Williams has plenty of detractors who look ready to go after him. The American Federation of Teachers spent $480,000 in the 2013 Boston mayoral race to help Marty Walsh cross the finish line, and they very well might get involved here. The Electricians Union Local 98 is also a big spender in state politics, and they look likely to back Kenney.
Ken Trujillo is also a wildcard. The former city solicitor dropped out of the race last month, but he still plans to get involved. Trujillo is talking about spending a few million on an independent expenditure campaign and given how close he is to wealthy donors, he's probably not bluffing. He hasn't said who he'd back, but Kenney looks like a good bet. Kenney inherited much of Trujillo's campaign staff, and Trujillo reportedly played a big role behind the scenes helping the former councilor staff up. Even if Trujillo stays on the sidelines, it looks like we're going to be in for an expensive contest.