The True Philadelphia Podcast With Matt O'donnell

Philadelphia's Republican City Committee is putting its hopes on Rep. Martina White (R-PA) to help it maintain relevance - and maybe even survive. The party was embarrassed again in the 2019 mayoral race - Mayor Jim Kenney didn't even campaign against GOP opponent Billy Ciancaglini and ended up winning with 80% of the vote. Plus, an independent candidate snatched a city council at-large seat from Republican Al Taubenberger, reducing the GOP's already slim role in city politics even more. Enter White, who took over the party's chair after the November election, right after the sudden resignation of Mike Meehan. She is young (only 31 years old), a longtime Northeast Philadelphia resident, the first in her immediate family to go to college (Elizabethtown) and the first new Republican to be elected in Philadelphia in 25 years. She has represented a 2-1 Democratic district for only four years and already promises to begin rebuilding the city's GOP from scratch. Political insiders from both sides of the aisle say t