After all the votes are tallied Tuesday, Philadelphia will know who will be sworn in as its 100th Mayor.
Nominees from the two major parties, Democrat Cherelle Parker and Republican David Oh, each have the chance to make history, becoming either Philadelphia’s first Black woman or the first Asian-American elected to the position.
The two spent the final weekend of the campaign motivating their supporters to get out the vote. WHYY’s Morning Edition host, Jennifer Lynn, spoke with each nominee during this critical period.
From his campaign office in the Mayfair section of Philadelphia Thursday, Oh explained he’s not your typical Republican in a city where Democrats outnumber Republicans by a seven-to-one margin.
Note: This transcript has been edited for clarity.
Jennifer Lynn, WHYY Morning Edition host: You’re a former city council member.
You’re a lawyer, you’re a father, you’re a husband, and you are associated with the letter R.
What does the “R” stand for as you identify as being a Republican?
David Oh, Republican candidate for Philadelphia mayor: Well, definitely the R stands for Republican. I think, to me, I would describe myself as a Lincoln Republican. I’m very much a big fan of Abraham Lincoln, and I like the origins of the Republican Party. To me, the R stands for reasonable, practical, and really public service-oriented. To me, the R in Republican means that while there are two parties, one of them believes in the power and goodness of government — which is fine — but you also need a party that is for individual rights and does not want a government that is intruding or obstructing the individuality of each person.