Q&A with the PA 4th Senate District Candidates

Voters in Pennsylvania’s 4th Senate District decide this coming Tuesday, May 19, whether to bring incumbent Art Haywood to Harrisburg or back challenger Michael Cogbill’s bid for new leadership.

What does PA’s 4th Senate District cover?

The 4th Senate District stretches from parts of Northwest Philly, including Germantown and Mount Airy, into eastern Montgomery County communities such as Cheltenham, Abington, Jenkintown, and Rockledge.

This face-off raises familiar political questions: Do voters want the experience, institutional knowledge, and relationships of a longtime officeholder, or do they want the energy and organizing mindset of a newer-generation challenger

The Germantown Info Hub spoke with both candidates ahead of election day to briefly lay out questions and answers to keep on voters’ minds. Note that answers have been simplified for length.

What pushed you towards public service/elected office?

Haywood was inspired by volunteering for Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign, which led him to run for Cheltenham Township commissioner — becoming the first Black person to hold the seat.

“When he won, I said to myself, something good can happen in government.”

Cogbill is driven by a desire to bring an organizer’s lens to the district, drawing on his robust background in organizing. He sees the Northwest’s strong advocacy roots and wants to channel them if elected.

"I think I chose to run because the Northwest just has so much advocacy power... We just need an issue advocate or organizer to lead."

How has your understanding of the community evolved?

Haywood said neighbors are essentially the same, but they are far more stressed now because of the Trump administration’s cuts and rising costs.

"Thousands of people have been kicked off of health care... particularly East Germantown is really stressed at a level that it hasn't been really since COVID."

Cogbill pointed to a need for rethinking how schools engage kids, with enrollment declining sharply post-pandemic.

"Philly schools’ enrollment declined by like 12 percent in one year after the pandemic... We just need to draw kids closer to school and really focus on experiential education."

What parts of the district have changed the most?

Haywood:

"The most change is in pretty much the Northwest Germantown area because the gentrification has been significant... Chelten Avenue has got a lot more vacancies than it had 10, 15  years ago."

Cogbill had similar concerns about the Chelten Ave. and Germantown Ave. business corridors, but also spoke about longstanding issues he wants to revisit and tackle.

"The Chelten Ave. Project... I think it's a great idea. I think fixing that corridor is deeply important.”

What are you most proud of/key accomplishments?

Haywood noted his office’s college access work, saying it has helped more than 200 young people gain admission to higher education, among other impactful outcomes.

"We are now at historic lows, I think back to the 1960s in terms of gun violence... We created our own coordinating operation, and we'd have meetings twice a month with the organizations doing the work."

Cogbill is most proud that he’s done the work at every level — legislative, electoral, and community, he says, which was not handed to him. He says his resume is built entirely from the ground up.

"I applied for the AFL-CIO three times before I got that job... So it wasn't like [connections] got me there. I've done the work. I beat Trump. I worked there in 2020… When I got there, I executed — I made it happen. And I helped keep the AFL-CIO afloat through some of our darkest times."

What are the top issues facing the district?

Haywood: Gentrification/housing stability and income inequality, particularly the need to raise the minimum wage.

"We've got to get the minimum wage up to at least $15 an hour... There are people making nine, 10, 11, 12 [dollars an hour]. We've got to get the pay up.”

Cogbill: Economic justice, voting rights, civil rights, housing, environmental justice, and gun violence prevention.

"Right now, it's a young person walking with an M16 or a long gun, and it's completely legal. You can buy a long gun without a background check... Closing those loopholes."

Where do you stand on Israel-Palestine?

Haywood denounced Hamas’s violence on October 7th while condemning the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the Netanyahu government’s actions, supporting a two-state solution as the path to lasting peace.

"Today, we are facing in the region [a] continuing genocide against the Palestinians. Folks are still being denied water, folks still being denied health care...the United Nations has declared it, Human Rights Watch, as well as Amnesty International — they're all clear about the conditions."

Cogbill said he supports a two-state solution and uses the word genocide, but he was careful to say he represents the whole district and does not want to isolate or label Jewish constituents.

"I believe in a two-state solution... I will say the word genocide... I do believe Netanyahu is a war criminal, but our president is also a war criminal."

Thoughts on redistricting and the Supreme Court’s decision on race.

Haywood framed this as an existential threat to Black political power. Power, he says, was built entirely from the ground up through the Voting Rights Act and can just as quickly be dismantled. His biggest concern is Pennsylvania’s 2030 census, which he sees as a coming battleground where partisan map-drawing could undo decades of progress.

“There'll be another opportunity to redistrict after the 2030 census. So I'm very concerned that new district lines that could be drawn will be disadvantageous to African American voters and just voters in general. We had a Supreme Court that changed the district lines in Pennsylvania because the legislature was so bad at it — so partisan at it.”

Cogbill argued that the Supreme Court’s ruling is just one piece of a coordinated, long-game assault on voting rights. He said the real defense is to codify protections before more rights are stripped away.

"The Supreme Court number is going to be this way for the next 20 years. And then even if the older Supreme Court justices retire, he'll get another two picks... So I think just trying to codify our civil liberties here.”

Experience vs. Youth: How do both respond to the “other side?”

Haywood argued that experience and a track record of results matter, especially in the fight against the Trump administration.

"Making government work is hard. Delivering resources, delivering 7,200 new housing opportunities is hard... I've got a tremendous record of accomplishment, and I know how to make government work."

Cogbill argues the moment calls for an organizer, not just a legislator, and that youth brings energy and a different kind of engagement.

"We need organizers. We need people to help mobilize... the state House is already in gridlock... And that's by organizing. That's by flipping Senate seats. That's by keeping the House majority. I just have the capacity and energy to do issue advocacy 24/7."

Message to voters with the election approaching?