Councilman Jones celebrates at Manayunk Brewery

Councilman Curtis Jones Jr., who won the Democratic Primary after running unopposed for a second term representing Philadelphia’s Fourth District, threw himself a “victory” party at Manayunk Brewery on Tuesday night. 

Just as polls closed at 8 p.m., about 150 people who had worked polling stations for Jones’ campaign arrived at the brewery to receive their paychecks, and party.

Many workers arrived still wearing their rain jackets and ponchos. As Jones went around thanking each one of them, some swapped stories from the day, but most were just glad to be off the clock and be done with politics for the day – if not the next four years.

Despite the long day, most workers felt like they had done a good thing for Philadelphia. 

“It was a positive thing to do,” one young man told another. 

By 10:30 p.m. most workers had left, and Jones’ critical staff remained behind, checking phones and computers for results in this citywide primary election.

Jones did not prepare a formal acceptance speech, saying that “there’s been enough speeches.”

Instead, he intends to give a short thank you speech to all of the people that have been part of his campaign, such as campaign manager Samantha Williams, who will be attending law school at Temple next year.

Williams says she will be graduating just in time to manage Jones’ next re-election campaign four years from now.