Nicolas O'Rourke

Last updated
Nicolas O'Rouke
Minority Whip of the Philadelphia City Council
Assumed office
January 1, 2024

Nicolas O'Rourke is an American politician and pastor who is an at-large member on the Philadelphia City Council. In 2023, he was elected to a minority party seat alongside incumbent Kendra Brooks in his second run for council as a member of the Working Families Party. This caused Republicans to not have any at-large seats on the City Council for the first time since 1952, when the current system was established. [1]

Contents

Early life and education

O'Rourke was born in 1989 in Trenton, New Jersey and lived in Ohio, Florida, and Indiana before moving to Philadelphia. He attended Central State University and Lancaster Bible College, before becoming the pastor of the Living Water United Church of Christ in Oxford Circle in 2014. [2]

Political career

In the 2019 Philadelphia City Council election, O'Rouke ran for a minority at-large seat but placed 9th on the general ballot. After his defeat, he became the Pennsylvania Director of the Working Families Party. [2] O'Rouke won an election for a minority at-large seat in the 2023 Philadelphia City Council election alongside Kendra Brooks, ousting Republicans from the minority seats. He took office on January 1, 2024. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philadelphia City Council</span> Legislative body of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.

The Philadelphia City Council, the legislative body of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, consists of ten members elected by district and seven members elected at-large. The council president is elected by the members from among their number. Each member's term is four years, and there are no limits on the number of terms a member may serve.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Working Families Party</span> Political party in the United States

The Working Families Party (WFP) is a left-wing minor political party in the United States, founded in New York in 1998. There are active chapters in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Brady</span> American politician (born 1945)

Robert A. Brady is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for Pennsylvania's 1st congressional district from 1998 to 2019. He was the ranking Democrat and Chairman of the United States House Committee on House Administration from 2007 to 2019. He has served as Chairman of the Philadelphia Democratic Party for more than 35 years and is a registered lobbyist for NBC Universal and Independence Blue Cross.

John Michael Perzel is an American politician and member of the Republican Party. Perzel represented 172nd Legislative District in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1978 until 2010. From April 2003 to January 2007, he served as House Speaker. He lost his bid for re-election to Democrat Kevin Boyle in 2010. Perzel was convicted in August 2011 of a variety of corruption related charges and, in March 2012, was sentenced to 30 months in prison.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 Philadelphia mayoral election</span> 2007 mayoral election in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The 2007 Philadelphia mayoral election was held on November 6, 2007 when Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States elected Michael Nutter as the Mayor of Philadelphia starting in 2008. The incumbent mayor, John F. Street was barred from seeking a third term because of term limits. The Democratic Party primary campaign saw two well-known, well-funded Philadelphia congressmen – Bob Brady and Chaka Fattah – eclipsed by self-funding businessman Tom Knox and reformist former Philadelphia City Council member Nutter, who won by a surprisingly large margin in the primary election on May 15. He went on to face Republican Party nominee Al Taubenberger in the general election, which he won by a large margin and with the lowest voter turnout in a Philadelphia mayoral election without an incumbent since 1951. Mayor Nutter was sworn in on January 7, 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cherelle Parker</span> 100th Mayor of Philadelphia

Cherelle Lesley Parker is an American politician who has served as the 100th Mayor of Philadelphia since 2024. She is the first woman to hold the office.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Oh</span> American lawyer

David Henry Oh is an American attorney and politician who served as a Republican member of the Philadelphia City Council from 2012 to 2023. He was the first Asian American elected to the city council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1951 Philadelphia municipal election</span> 1951 municipal election in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

The 1951 Philadelphia municipal election, held on Tuesday, November 6, was the first election under the city's new charter, which had been approved by the voters in April, and the first Democratic victory in the city in more than a half-century. The positions contested were those of mayor and district attorney, and all seventeen city council seats. There was also a referendum on whether to consolidate the city and county governments. Citywide, the Democrats took majorities of over 100,000 votes, breaking a 67-year Republican hold on city government. Joseph S. Clark Jr. and Richardson Dilworth, two of the main movers for the charter reform, were elected mayor and district attorney, respectively. Led by local party chairman James A. Finnegan, the Democrats also took fourteen of seventeen city council seats, and all of the citywide offices on the ballot. A referendum on city-county consolidation passed by a wide margin. The election marked the beginning of Democratic dominance of Philadelphia city politics, which continues today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helen Gym</span> American politician

Helen Gym is an American politician. She was the first Asian American woman to serve on the Philadelphia City Council. She was first elected to Council in 2015 and served until 2022, when she resigned to run in the Democratic primary of the 2023 Philadelphia mayoral election. Gym finished in third place behind Cherelle Parker, who won the nomination, and Rebecca Rhynhart.

Jared G. Solomon is the representative for the 202nd District of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. He is a member of the Democratic Party. A former Army Reserve JAG officer, Solomon is chair of the PA House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election</span> Election of Josh Shapiro as Pennsylvania Governor

The 2022 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor of Pennsylvania and lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania. State Attorney General Josh Shapiro defeated State Senator Doug Mastriano by 14.8 percentage points to succeed term-limited incumbent governor Tom Wolf (D). Primaries were held on May 17, 2022. Shapiro won the Democratic nomination after running unopposed and Mastriano won the Republican nomination with 44% of the vote. Mastriano's nomination drew attention due to his far-right political views.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kendra Brooks</span> American politician

Kendra Nicole Brooks is an American politician and activist. Brooks, a member of the Working Families Party (WFP), won a citywide at-large seat in the election to Philadelphia City Council on November 5, 2019. The Council has seven at-large seats that go to the highest overall vote-getters with two seats reserved for a minority party. Brooks's initial 2019 election was the first time a third party candidate won the minority party seat since its inception in 1919, through the creation of the modern Philadelphia City Council. Brooks won reelection to Philadelphia City Council in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Philadelphia mayoral election</span> 2023 mayoral election in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The 2023 Philadelphia mayoral election was held on November 7, 2023 to elect the mayor of Philadelphia. Nominees for the Democratic and Republican parties were selected through primaries on May 16, 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nina Ahmad</span> American politician

Nina Ahmad is an American politician and women's rights activist from Pennsylvania. She is a elected member of the Philadelphia City Council from At Large after being elected in 2023. She is the first person of South Asian descent to serve on Philadelphia City Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al Schmidt</span> Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

Albert Schmidt is an American politician and election official who is the current Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, serving since 2023. He was a Philadelphia City Commissioner from 2012 to 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isaiah Thomas (politician)</span> American politician

Isaiah Thomas Sr. is a Democratic politician and At-Large member of Philadelphia City Council. He was born to a family of 10 children from the East Oak Lane neighborhood of Philadelphia. He attended Frankford High School, Pennsylvania State University and Lincoln University. He was first elected to an At-Large seat on Philadelphia City Council in 2019. Thomas was re-elected to a second term with the highest votes in the 2023 primary and general elections. He assumed office January 2nd, 2024 and was elected by fellow members to serve as Majority Whip.

Beatrice Kravistsky Chernock was an American educator and politician. She was a member of the Republican Party and served on the Philadelphia City Council from 1972 to 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amen Brown</span> American politician

Amen R. Brown is an American politician. He is currently a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, representing the 10th District since 2023. Brown previously represented the 190th District from 2021 to 2022 before redistricting moved him to the 10th District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022–23 Philadelphia City Council special election</span> Local election in Philadelphia, United States

The 2022 Philadelphia City Council special elections are planned special elections in 2022. The reason for the special elections is at least five resignations from the Philadelphia City Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Philadelphia City Council election</span>

The 2023 Philadelphia City Council elections was held November 7, 2023 for elections of all seats in the Philadelphia City Council. The Democratic Party maintained its super-majority on the council. The election took place on the same day as the 2023 Philadelphia mayoral election and other local elections in the Commonwealth.

References

  1. Orso, Anna (2023-11-08). "Working Families Party wins two City Council seats in a historic win for Philly progressives". The Philadelphia Inquirer . Retrieved 2023-11-09.
  2. 1 2 Prihar, Asha (2023-10-09). "Philadelphia City Council candidates: Nicolas O'Rourke, Working Families Party". Billy Penn at WHYY. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
  3. Rinde, Meir (2023-11-08). "Working Families Party notches another historic win in Philadelphia". Billy Penn at WHYY. Retrieved 2023-11-09.