MARICA GELBERT OF THE INQUIRER After weeks of blogging about the Philadelphia mayor’s race, Sam Katz has taken a step toward jumping into it, The Inquirer has learned. The three-time mayoral candidate has left the door open for a fourth run, quietly switching his party registration at the eleventh hour last week from Republican to independent.
In an interview this afternoon, Katz repeatedly declined to say whether he was considering a run. But he also did not rule it out, saying only: “It is what it is. I wouldn’t read too much into it.”
The pre-primary deadline for voter registration was April 16. City election officials said they received Katz’s change-of-registration form that same day.
Katz’s move leaves him eligible to run as an independent in the fall election if he can garner enough signatures on nominating petitions.
It is also the first tangible sign that the race for mayor may not end with the May 15 Democratic primary.
INQUIRER: You Smell That? Smells Like An Election Cookin’ Up Good!
[Prophetic illustration by JAY BEVENOUR]