Kenney wins Democratic mayoral primary

Jim Kenney thumped the competition in the Democratic mayoral primary Tuesday, besting a field of six candidates.

The Associated Press declared Kenney the winner shortly after 9 p.m. 

According to unofficial tallies, with 98.1 percent of the precincts reporting, Kenney received 55.79 percent of the vote. His chief competitor, Anthony Hardy Williams, garnered 26.15 percent. Lynne Abraham, with 8.39 percent, was a distant third.

Nelson Diaz, Doug Oliver and Milton Street each received less than 5 percent.

"Our campaign was a broad and unprecendented coalition of diverse groups, many of whom came together for the first time to support me," Kenney said in his victory speech. "People of every neighborhood all came behind this effort. It was that unity that made us victorious."

Related Article: Five takeaways from Tuesday's primary

Kenney will square off in the general election against Melissa Murray Bailey, who ran unopposed in the Republican primary. 

In a city as heavily Democratic as Philadelphia, that typically is a mere formality. But Bill Green, former chairman of the School Reform Commission, is reportedly mulling a run as an independent.

"The only thing I'm willing to speculate about tonight is that Jim Kenney will be the Democratic nominee," Green told Newsworks.org, noting that "we don't even have the final results. There is a lot of analysis to be done [about] where and how the vote broke down."

Kenney, who received considerable financial support from the city's labor unions, is best known for leading efforts to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana, supporting LGBT issues and maintaining a strong Twitter presence.

Kenney thanked his parents, teachers, campaign workers and diverse supporters. He also praised his former colleagues on city council for shaping him into the man who won the Democratic mayoral nomination.

"You turned me from a freshman councilman who thought he knew everything into one who had a true understanding of this city’s diversity," Kenney said.

Williams, a longtime state senator, told his supporters that their journey continues despite the end of his campaign. He said his vision of creating "one Philadelphia" remains.

"Our campaign has been about building one Philadelphia," Williams said. "A city where everyone has an opportunity for a great education, a job with a future, and the chance to live safely and without fear, no matter what neighborhood you live in. A world-class city that truly lives up to its promise.

"You need to know that I will continue to lead on these issues, because they matter to our future as a city."

After much speculation, Kenney resigned in January from a council seat he had held for two decades, seeking a move into the mayor's office.

Kenney acknowledged the city faces an underfunded school district, poverty and a strained relationship between law enforcement and residents. He reiterated his campaign pledges to bring universal pre-kindergarten and end stop-and-frisk policing.

As mayor, he will have to work alongside Council President Darrell Clarke, who endorsed Kenney just days before the election. Clarke, who opted against running for mayor, often sparred with Mayor Michael Nutter.