From the beginning, this year's race for mayor of Philadelphia has refused to stick to the script.
Just two days before the polls open for the Democratic primary, consider:
More white voters prefer a black candidate than either of his two white rivals. And one of the white contenders draws strong black support.
A business mogul came from nowhere with the city's first self-funded campaign, proving the power of cash with a vow to "buy back" City Hall from the insiders.
Television ads, always important in modern races, played an outsize role in shaping voter opinion - through sheer volume.
Two candidates with the best old-fashioned street organizations - U.S. Rep. Bob Brady, boss of the Democratic machine, and U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah, the overwhelming early favorite, struggled for footing.
City campaign-money limits kicked in for the first time, forcing candidates to work harder to raise and spend cash. Even so, more money - nearly $20 million - sloshed into the race than in the bad old days of $100,000 donations. Independent "527" groups popped up to evade the limits.
The winning message so far, in a town traditionally averse to change, is just that: change. "The city," pollster Terry Madonna said, "is sort of at a turning point."
Randall Miller, a historian at St. Joseph's University who studies Philadelphia politics, said: "There are a lot of things happening in this election that don't fit past patterns."
Many of these trends were influenced by Tom Knox, the former insurance executive who has slipped to second place in the polls but has spent nearly $10 million of his own cash.
Former City Councilman Michael Nutter, who thumps his record of government-ethics legislation and calls for a crime emergency, surged into the lead of the Keystone Poll released last week. He had 31 percent to Knox's 21; Fattah polled 13 percent, Brady 11 and State Rep. Dwight Evans 3.
But there's still volatility in the electorate, according to the poll: A fifth of voters said they were undecided, and 41 percent of "decideds" told pollsters that they could change their minds.
The numbers cause political analysts to warn against writing off the men with the fabled organizations, Brady and Fattah.
But that traditional street muscle has been put to the test by two media-centric candidates who have done the best at casting themselves as change agents - Knox and Nutter.
