Jamie Gauthier claims victory over longtime Philly Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell

Thursday, May 23, 2019
Jamie Gauthier defeats longtime Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell
Jamie Gauthier defeats longtime Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell. John Rawlins has more on Action News at 6 p.m. on May 22, 2019.

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- With nearly all of the votes counted, six-term incumbent Philadelphia Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell lost her re-election bid to Jamie Gauthier in Tuesday's primary for the 3rd District City Council seat, which covers much of West Philadelphia and Southwest Philadelphia.

With 98% of precincts reporting, Blackwell had 10,398 votes to Gauthier's 13,174 votes.

Blackwell is one of the best known and most powerful Democrats in Philadelphia.

She has represented the 3rd district since 1992 when she took over for her husband, who had first been elected in 1974.

Blackwell is known for helping underserved communities, helping the homeless, pushing for affordable housing and better schools.

Gauthier is a former director of the Sustainable Business Network and the former head of the Fairmont Park Conservancy. She is a native of West Philadelphia and mother of two sons, who both attend Philadelphia Public Schools.

Gauthier is the presumptive winner in November's general election, given that no Republican ran in the primary.

Gauthier claimed victory over Blackwell late Tuesday night, saying in a statement: "I'm incredibly thrilled by tonight's win, and I'm so touched by all of the support I've received throughout this campaign. I'm excited about the opportunity to work together to ensure our communities remain affordable for everyone; to move people out of poverty and connect them to good-paying jobs; to bring local businesses back to our communities; and work together to improve our schools for all of our children."

CLICK HERE for full Pennsylvania Primary results.