Pennsylvania state Representative Chris Rabb has won the Democratic primary in the Keystone State's 3rd Congressional District, according to projections from Decision Desk HQ. The victory marks a significant win for the progressive wing of the party, as Rabb, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, defeated state Senator Shariff Street and pediatric surgeon Ala Stanford in a closely watched contest.
Rabb, 56, has represented Pennsylvania's 200th House District since 2017 and previously worked as an aide to former Illinois Senator Carol Moseley Braun and served in the Clinton administration during the 1995 White House Conference on Small Business. He now heads into the November general election as the heavy favorite in a district that is overwhelmingly Democratic.
The district, which covers parts of West and North Philadelphia, is currently represented by retiring Representative Dwight Evans. Evans, 72, announced last June that he would not seek reelection, more than a year after suffering a stroke. He has held the seat since November 2016 and previously served over three decades in the Pennsylvania House. Evans ran unopposed in his final general election and won at least 90 percent of the vote in each of his four prior races. In 2024, the district voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris by a margin of 77 percentage points, according to The Downballot.
With no Republican candidate on the ballot, Rabb is all but certain to win the seat in November. His campaign received a significant boost from national progressive figures, including Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC, and the Working Families Party. Ocasio-Cortez campaigned for Rabb in Philadelphia last week, telling a crowd that the state representative is “unbought and unbossed,” as reported by WHYY.
Street, the son of former Philadelphia Mayor John Street and former chair of the state Democratic Party, entered the race the day after Evans announced his retirement. On Monday, Senator Cory Booker joined local Democratic leaders, including Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker and state House Speaker Joanna McClinton, in stumping for Street. Stanford, the first Black female pediatric surgeon trained entirely in the U.S., entered the race in October with Evans's endorsement. She also founded Philadelphia's Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium.
Campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission as of April 29 show that Rabb raised over $967,000, Street raised more than $1 million, and Stanford raised over $506,000. The primary race drew attention as part of a broader pattern of progressive gains in Pennsylvania, similar to the dynamics seen in the Pennsylvania House primaries that set the stage for key battleground races.
Rabb's victory also highlights the ongoing influence of national progressive groups in local primaries, a trend that has reshaped Democratic politics in recent years. The race was one of several high-profile contests this cycle, including the Georgia Supreme Court races drawing national Democratic firepower.
