Openly Gay Candidate Chris Mallios Wins Court of Common Pleas Race

Democrat Chris Mallios, an openly gay man, was one of 12 candidates to win his race for Judge of the Court of Common Pleas during Philadelphia’s primary election on Tuesday. He will now go on to run in the general election, which, giving we’re living in a Democratic city, means he’ll likely win a seat.

Mallios was born and raised in Philly, where he attended public schools and was educated at Penn State and Temple Law School. Since graduating, he has worked in Philadelphia as a prosecutor, attorney, law clerk and teacher. Earlier this year, he was hired by the University of Pennsylvania to oversee investigations of alleged violence and stalking on campus. He was also selected to serve as the District Attorney’s liaison to Philadelphia’s LGBT community.

Mallios’s team released somewhat of an acceptance speech on his Facebook wall, saying, “We won! And the city now wins an excellent new judge. A huge thank you to everyone who helped with this campaign. Whether you donated money or time or supported us on Facebook and Twitter or took the time to VOTE today, we owe all of you our heartfelt gratitude. This was a steep hill we just climbed and we got to the top only with the help of all of you. Thanks!”

If wins, he won’t be the first openly gay judge to sit in the Court of Common Pleas—that was Judge Dan Anders, when he was selected by nominated Governor Ed Rendell to fill a two-year vacancy in 2007. But it’s still a historic moment nonetheless. To read more about Mallios, visit his campaign page here.

In other out election news … 

Openly LGBT candidates Sherrie Cohen and Paul Steinke lost their bids for City Council At-Large.

The evening didn’t go so well for the other two openly gay candidates on the ballot. Paul Steinkie and Sherrie Cohen both lost their races for City Council At-Large. Steinke released the following statement on his Facebook:

Tonight, we came just short of the outcome that we wanted. But I could not be prouder of the strong, positive campaign we ran.

Philadelphia’s recent growth and momentum are fragile. Will we make the tough decisions in order to create more funding for our schools, more neighborhood reinvestment, a fairer business climate, and better public spaces and institutions? Or will we punt on tough decisions, further putting our public schools and pension fund at risk? Change is difficult. Tonight the voters told us it was not our time. But I am hopeful this next City Council is ready to make the tough decisions ahead.

Several other LGBT-endorsed candidates did win, however, including Blondell Reynolds Brown, Bill Greenlee, and Helen Gym (who’s win isn’t official, but it’s looking likely). To read about who won the City Council race, and to follow some pretty excellent post-primary day coverage, check out Citified here.