Reclaim Philadelphia is an American progressive activist group based in the city of
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
. Strongly associated with the 501c4 group Pennsylvania Stands Up, Reclaim was founded out of the structures created by the
Bernie Sanders 2016 presidential campaign
In the 2016 presidential campaign, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders sought the Democratic Party's nomination in a field of six major candidates and was the runner up with 46% of the pledged delegates behind former Secretary of State Hillary ...
.
History
Reclaim Philadelphia was founded after Bernie Sanders had suspended his 2016 presidential campaign, as several Philadelphia-based activists disappointed with his loss decided to form an activist group in order to continue to advocate for what they viewed as progressive policies. The victory of
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of ...
in that year's presidential election galvanised the group, which began to hold more regular meetings as a result. Officially the Philadelphia chapter of the national group
Our Revolution
Our Revolution (sometimes known by its initials OR) is an American progressive political action organization spun out of Senator Bernie Sanders's 2016 presidential campaign to continue its work. The organization's mission is to educate voter ...
, Reclaim was active in
Larry Krasner
Lawrence Samuel Krasner (born March 30, 1961) is an American lawyer who is the 26th District Attorney of Philadelphia. Elected to the position in 2017, Krasner was one of the first in the United States to run as a self-described "progressive pros ...
's successful 2017 campaign to become Philadelphia district attorney, credited by Krasner as having a "key role" in his victory. In the 2018 election cycle, Reclaim members took control of the 1st and 2nd Philadelphia wards, located in
South Philadelphia
South Philadelphia, nicknamed South Philly, is the section of Philadelphia bounded by South Street to the north, the Delaware River to the east and south and the Schuylkill River to the west.Kendra Brooks to the
Philadelphia City Council
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 ...
. In 2020, two members of Reclaim,
Nikil Saval
Nikil Saval (born December 27, 1982) is an Indian-American magazine editor, writer, organizer, activist, and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he represents the 1st district in the Pennsylvania State Senate.
Early life and education
...
, who had co-founded the organization, and Rick Krajewski, were elected to the
Pennsylvania Legislature
The Pennsylvania General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The legislature convenes in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. In colonial times (1682–1776), the legislature was known as the Pennsylvania ...