Getty With eye to 2016 convention, Philadelphia Democrats see win in papal visit

PHILADELPHIA—The city’s Democrats breathed a sigh of relief – but no chest-thumping, out of respect – after day one of Pope Francis’ visit remained trouble free Saturday.

In July 2016, Democrats will convene here to formally nominate a presidential candidate. Party officials picked Philadelphia over New York City and Columbus, Ohio, knowing the city faced the high-stakes, global spotlight of a papal visit this year.


In the lead-up to this weekend, the city faced criticisms about its preparations. Politically, the deeply-Democratic city establishment was embarrassed when longtime Rep. Chaka Fattah was indicted on bribery, racketeering and money laundering charges in July.

Philadelphia’s decision to shut down most of the city’s center to traffic effective from Friday night raised residents' hackles. Part of the busy highway I-76 was closed for the weekend.

Concerns about security restrictions may have dampened Saturday's crowds.

“Not too many people were on the trains early this morning,” said Maria Sotomayor, who arrived at Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station at 7:30am from Paoli, Pa. “It’s a little bit underwhelming right now.”

Visitors hoping to see Pope Francis speak at Independence Hall stood in long lines to get through security checkpoints staffed by TSA employees. More than 1 million people are expected to attend a papal mass on Sunday on the city's parkway.

But on Saturday, Philadelphia’s mayor-in-waiting pushed back against the city’s critics.

“The complaints about the security … some of the poor-mouthing was pretty much unfounded as far as we can see today,” said James Kenney, who won the Democratic mayoral primary in May.

Philadelphia holds a general election in November. But here, the primary almost always anoints the next mayor.

“So far it’s just wonderful,” Kenney said in an interview. But he added: “You don’t thump your chest when it comes to the pope.”

Local Democrats are also hoping Philadelphia’s performance throughout the papal visit will pay dividends in the 2016 election.

Pennsylvania’s top Democrats took the stage to tout their state ahead of the pope’s arrival at Independence Hall.

“This is a big event for all of us in Pennsylvania,” Democrat Gov. Tom Wolf said, speaking before the address.

Though Pennsylvania leans more Democratic than 10 years ago, it is still a possible swing state in the 2016 presidential election. Democrats are also hoping to defeat Republican Sen. Pat Toomey, who’s up for reelection next year, and who also attended the pope's speech.

“If we can get through the papal visit and show the country how well Philadelphians can perform, it's going to be a tremendous boost for the convention,” said Brian McGinnis, chairman of the Chester County Democratic Committee in a hotly-contested Philadelphia suburb. “If Philadelphia can show the rest of the country and the state just flawless execution of the pope’s visit, it goes a long way.”

