Democratic Party to Endorse Openly Gay Council Candidate for the First Time Ever

Sherrie Cohen | Photo via Cohen’s Facebook

It looks like history will soon be made in the upcoming election for City Council. Our sister blog Citified writes that Philly’s Democratic party is expected to endorse City Council At-Large candidate Sherrie Cohen. This would be the first time in Philadelphia’s history that an openly LGBT council candidate will win the Democratic party’s endorsement. More from Citified.

Cohen tells us the policy arm of the city committee recommended her for an endorsement Saturday. She expects the full party to ratify the decision next month.

That could be a deciding factor in the City Council At-Large race. It means ward leaders across Philadelphia would help turn out the vote for Cohen. Yes, some ward leaders could cut her from the all-important sample ballots they hand out to voters, but many would fall in line.

It also would be a victory for the city’s LGBT community. Cohen is openly gay, and LGBT leaders have been pushing hard for the city committee to endorse an out candidate for the first time in its history.

While the endorsement is a big deal, it doesn’t necessarily mean that Cohen is a shoe-in for the position. Head over to Citified for more on what the endorsement means and other obstacles Cohen has to climb to win at the polls.