Philadelphia’s Democratic ward leaders will vote this month to select a party chair, with longtime chair Bob Brady seeking another term amid criticism from the progressive wing of the party.

On Saturday, state Rep. Chris Rabb, who won the Democratic primary for Congress on May 19, said the “Philly Democratic Party and Bob Brady” are stuck in the past and called for a leadership change.

“Shortly, Philly’s committeepeople, who were elected on May 19 to represent their local neighborhoods, have an opportunity to make their voices heard about the future of the Democratic Party in Philly,” Rabb said in a press release. “Bob Brady and Philly’s machine politics are stuck in the past and are holding us back from building the stronger Democratic Party we need to deliver real results for working families.

“Simply put, our local Democratic Party must embrace democratic practices that amplify shared values of substantive diversity, inclusion, and equity. Bylaw reform and ward modernization together can deliver the electoral and organizing wins we need in 2026 and beyond.”

In a May 29 interview with NBC10, Brady said he planned to run for another term and said the progressive wing has a major role to play in the party.

In a May 27 interview with the Local, Rabb talked about what he called the death of ward politics, saying, “I won five times as many wards as I was endorsed by. If ward endorsements mattered, I would have lost. If the endorsements of the political class of the city and entrenched power mattered, I would have lost, but I won by 15 points. If money were the most important thing from political insiders, I would have lost, but there’s no substitute for grassroots mobilizing and old-school community organizing.”

Coinciding with his call for leadership change, Rabb announced he will reintroduce a bill in the state legislature to update Philadelphia’s ward boundaries in alignment with the census.

The boundaries have remained in place for over 50 years, following the expansion to 66 wards in 1966.

Rabb’s bill would amend the Pennsylvania Election Code, requiring the city to expand the decennial reapportionment process to political wards and mandating that City Council establish a non-partisan commission to present proposals.

“Election maps used to decide the leaders of the Philly Democratic Party haven’t been updated in over 50 years,” Rabb said. “Neither have the ward boundaries that shape who holds power in the first place. It’s time to modernize both the party’s internal rules and the legal maps that define our political geography.”

“That’s why I’m reintroducing legislation to modernize our ward boundaries in alignment with the census,” he added. “The party’s bylaws and the city’s ward lines need to be reformed together; one can’t fix what’s broken without the other. Philly Democrats need a fresh approach focused on the future.”