Democratic state Rep. Andre Carroll, who represents Germantown, kicked off his re-election campaign at Braid Mill in Germantown on Saturday with several guests, including Lt. Gov. Austin Davis and state Sen. Sharif Street.

Carroll, who so far is running unopposed, was first elected to represent the 201st Legislative District in 2024. He grew up in Germantown, graduating from Germantown High School.

Prior to his current position, Carroll worked in government for the city’s controller’s office, state Sen. Anthony H. Williams’s office, and for several campaigns. He also worked as an educator in the Philadelphia School District.

Reflecting on his first term, Carroll told the Local, “It’s been an honor of my life.

“Being an elected official is not the easiest role, but it’s something that you lead with, with your heart, and that’s what I’ve been doing for the last 18 months,” Carroll continued. “I truly believe that I wholeheartedly know what my neighbors deserve, what they believe, and what they desire, and I look forward to continuing to go to Harrisburg and making sure that my neighbors get their fair share.”

Criminal justice reform has been an area of focus for Carroll throughout his first term. His father, who was alongside him at Saturday’s event, was incarcerated for much of Carroll’s life.

This month, the state House passed a bill introduced by Carroll and Democratic state Rep. Anthony Bellmon, which focused on the juvenile justice system.

In Pennsylvania, if a youth in the juvenile justice system waits for a spot to open at a treatment facility, the time spent waiting does not count toward their sentence, even if the youth is already detained. The bill would require courts to account for the total time a child spends in secure detention when determining the duration of their sentence. The House passed the bill on Feb. 4, moving it to the Senate, where it is currently in the Judiciary Committee.

On Saturday, several elected officials praised Carroll for his work in criminal justice reform, including City Councilmember Isaiah Thomas, who said, “No one visits the prisons and does what Andre does as it relates to working with folks who are currently incarcerated.”

He added, “When Andre became an elected official, I told Andre … you’re not able to go to the prisons as much because the job is too demanding. And Andre probably goes to the prisons even more now as an elected official. … He doesn’t post on social media. He doesn’t talk about it much. He does it because that’s what he’s passionate about.”

Davis praised Carroll’s work ethic as an elected official, saying, “You can tell from the moment that Andre Carroll stepped up to run for office, that he was a workhorse… You may not see many viral moments of Andre Carroll … But I guarantee you’ll see Andre Carroll in Germantown. I guarantee you see him in Philadelphia. I guarantee you see him in moments of need in this community. That is the mark of a great elected official.”

Other speakers at the event included City Councilmembers Anthony Phillips, Kendra Brooks, Rue Landau, and Katherine Gilmore Richardson, Council President Kenyatta Johnson, state Sen. Anthony H. Williams, 59th Ward Leader Patrick Jones, and state Rep. Jordan A. Harris. Also in attendance were state Rep. Tarik Khan, Councilmember Nicolas O’Rourke, and state Sen. Art Haywood.

Looking back

Representing the community he was raised in gives him the same experiences as his neighbors, shopping at the same stores and sharing the same parking spaces, Carroll said.

“To take those issues to a government body and be able to advocate with them and work with other levels of government to ensure that we’re aiming to improve the quality of life for everyone is honestly a joy of my life,” he said.

In his first term, an aspect of the job Carroll came to understand was the impact death has on an elected official. He cited the case of Kada Scott, the Mt. Airy woman who was found murdered last October, buried in a shallow grave behind an abandoned school in Germantown.

“I unfortunately experienced the death of Kada Scott, which occurred inside of my district,” he said. “And the reason why that death really connected with me so deeply is because I had a chance to meet Kada about four months prior to her death. My staff and I had been working with her to get her an internship because she was interested in service. I never in a million years would have thought that she’d have been taken from us just so soon, and it just emphasizes the need for government to show up for folks and for us to be able to put things into place that would prevent unfortunate events like this.”

He added, “I have many mentors, and one of the things they never ever told me is that you know the amount of funerals you will attend and how the loss of your community members will impact you.”

For Carroll, these tragedies emphasized the need for reducing gun violence, to make sure “that we’re protecting folks who are victims of abuse, or making sure that our young people have a place to thrive and participate and be included in the process.”

Looking ahead

If re-elected, Carroll says he wants to focus on affordability. For him, much of that relates to consumer protections.

“Corporations show up in our community and price gouge,” Carroll said. “It takes away the opportunity for folks in my community to be able to put food on their tables, to be able to afford things like childcare, and also to be able to make sure that they can invest in their young people.”

In January, Carroll moderated a forum for five candidates running for Pennsylvania’s 3rd Congressional District. Carroll said he hopes that any candidate elected to that position will carry the voices of the community they represent to Congress and remember that they are an extension of their community.

“I love Germantown. I really love the unity, I love our closeness. I love how folks here really are passionate about the work that happens in this neighborhood,” Carroll said. “I’m just proud of the community that exists here and the long history that we embody, an opportunity to be able to continue that.”

Tommy Tucker can be reached at Tommy@chestnuthilllocal.com.