The victory of Democrat Neil Makhija in the messy five-candidate primary for Montgomery County commissioner upended “party politics as usual” for Democrats, writes Andrew Seidman for The Philadelphia Inquirer. 

The Lower Merion attorney pushed for a contested primary election despite the objections of party leaders. 

Party-endorsed commissioner Jamila Winder won the most votes and will run together with Makhija on the same ticket in the general election. 

The party’s system was this year partly led by Democrats affiliated with law firms that raise money for the party and get government contracts. Now the question remains if the system is likely to be reformed in response to criticism from party activists. 

“This is a repudiation of party politics as usual in Montgomery County,” said Ryane Sophia Kilmer, a Democratic activist from Cheltenham. “It represents the committee people taking back our power and helping elect a rising superstar in the Democratic Party in Neil Makhija.” 

Seidman wrote that the primary still showed the strength of the party’s influence, however, through the decisive victory for Winder. Earlier this year, she was appointed to the three-member Board of Commissioners to fill a vacancy. 

Read more about the Montgomery County primary in The Philadelphia Inquirer. 

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Democrat Neil Makhija Makes History.