Philadelphia voters, for the first time in years, will send someone new to the U.S. House of Representatives, and, in all likelihood, that person will be whoever emerges from Tuesday’s hotly contested Democratic primary.

Ballots will also be cast May 19 to determine political party nominees for governor, lieutenant governor, state senate and house and members of the state and local Democratic and Republican committees.

Pennsylvania holds closed primaries, meaning only registered Democrats and Republicans can select candidates to advance to November’s general election. All Philadelphians, including independents and members of third parties, can vote on a pair of questions that will appear on the ballot.

Governor and Lieutenant Governor

State Treasurer Stacy Garrity is trying to derail Gov. Josh Shapiro’s bid for a second term, but that gubernatorial race won’t heat up until the fall. Both are appearing alone on the GOP and Democratic primary ballots, respectively.

On the Republican side, there is a contested race to become Garrity’s second-in-command. John Ventre, a former UPS manager from Westmoreland County, is running against Jason Richey, chairman of the Republican Committee of Allegheny County. Garrity and the state GOP have backed Richey.

Current Lt. Gov. Austin Davis is unopposed on the Democratic ballot.

Congress

U.S. Rep. Dwight Evan’s announcement, in June, that he would not be running for reelection set off a mad scramble among political hopefuls interested in heading to Capitol Hill.

The pool of candidates has narrowed to Ala Stanford, Sharif Street, Chris Rabb and Shaun Griffith, with the first three, in particular, battling for endorsements and spending significant sums of campaign cash.

The 3rd Congressional District covers West and Northwest Philadelphia, along with much of Center City and parts of North and South Philadelphia. No Republicans filed paperwork to run for the seat.

Stanford, a pediatric surgeon best known for her work leading the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium, has been backed by Evans, former Mayor Michael Nutter and EMILYs List, a group that advocates for abortion rights.

Street, the son of former Mayor John Street, has served in the Pennsylvania Senate for the past decade, representing a district based in North Philadelphia. He has endorsements from the Democratic City Committee, Philadelphia Building & Construction Trades Council and a host of labor unions.

Rabb is the state representative for the 200th District, spanning Mount Airy and other sections of Northwest Philadelphia. He is considered the most progressive Democrat in the race and has the support of the Working Families Party, Philadelphia Democratic Socialists of America, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and others.

Shaun Griffith, an attorney who lives in South Philadelphia, will also appear on the ballot. On his campaign’s website, Griffith says he will prioritize universal health care coverage, a $15 federal minimum wage and regulating data centers, among other issues.

In the 2nd Congressional District, incumbent U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle and GOP challenger Jessica Arriaga are unopposed in Tuesday’s primary.

Similarly, in the 5th District, Democratic U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon and Republican Nick Manganaro seem set to be their party’s nominees come November.

State Legislature

While a majority of the nominations are uncontested for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and Senate, there are a handful of competitive primaries, all on the Democratic side.

Sen. Art Haywood, originally elected in 2014, is running for another term in the 4th District, which includes sections of Northwest Philadelphia and Montgomery County. Political organizer Mike Cogbill, who ran for Congress unsuccessfully four years ago, is attempting to unseat Haywood.

David Goldsmith Jr., a Delaware County-based real estate agent, is challenging longtime lawmaker Anthony H. Williams in the 8th Senate District, covering parts of South Philadelphia, Southwest Philadelphia, West Philadelphia and Delaware County.

In the overlapping 185th House District, Rep. Regina G. Young is pursuing reelection opposite Joe Sackor.

In West Philadelphia’s 192nd House District, educator D’Angelo Virgo is taking on incumbent Morgan Cephas, chair of the Philadelphia House Delegation.

State Rep. Keith Harris is seeking a second term in North Philadelphia’s 195th District; his primary opponents are Kenneth T. Walker Jr., who has failed in three prior runs for state representative, and social worker Sierra McNeil.

Three candidates are also running to replace Rabb in the 200th District. He has endorsed Chris Johnson, a School District of Philadelphia employee who previously served as a staffer for U.S. Sen. Bob Casey and state Rep. Joanna McClinton. Pastor and social worker Deshawnda Williams, known as “Dr. Dee,” and Democratic committee member Qasim Rashad are also pursuing the seat.

All other Democratic and Republican state legislative candidates are appearing unopposed on Tuesday’s ballot.

Ballot questions

Philadelphians will be asked to weigh in on two proposed changes to the city charter, which is the municipality’s governing document.

The first measure, if approved, would establish a board to oversee PhillySaves, a program that would automatically set up a retirement account for individuals without access to such plans through their employer.

A portion of each person’s paycheck, between 3% and 6%, would be deducted to invest in the fund, unless they opt out of the program.

Nine people would serve on the Philadelphia Retirement Savings Board, according to legislation adopted by City Council and signed by Mayor Cherelle Parker.

The mayor and Council president would each get four appointees. Each would need to name an employer representative (from a chamber of commerce-type organization), an employee representative (such as a labor union leader), a retiree advocate (from AARP or a similar group) and an investment expert.

One member of the board would be appointed by the City Controller.

Voters will also be asked whether the Office of the Youth Ombudsperson should be converted into a permanent municipal department.

The office was established by Mayor Jim Kenney through a 2022 executive order. Its role is to monitor child welfare, juvenile justice, and behavioral health residential placement facilities by responding to complaints, conducting evaluations and educating young people about their rights.

How to vote

Polling places will be open for in-person voting from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Philadelphians can find their voting location by typing in their address at atlas.phila.gov/voting.

For individuals voting by mail who have not yet returned their ballot, the City Commissioners typically recommend that, in the few days before an election, they deliver their envelope to a dropbox. Ballots are not counted unless they are received — not postmarked — by 8 p.m. Tuesday.

The Commissioners, who oversee elections in the city, operate more than 30 dropboxes that are available 24/7. For a full list of locations, go to vote.phila.gov. Additional information about voting is available on the state’s website, vote.pa.gov.