Philadelphia elects progressive Chris Rabb to U.S. House of Representatives

Democratic state Rep. Chris Rabb has been elected to the U.S. House of Representatives after defeating independent Dennis Mahoney in the 3rd District midterm. The Associated Press called the race at 8:28 p.m. Rabb will replace Dwight Evans in January after announcing he would not seek reelection after a stroke in 2024. Evans has been in Congress since 2016 and previously represented Philadelphia’s West Oak Lane neighborhood in the state House for 36 years. Supported by grassroots organizations, the self-described democratic socialist’s platform centered around affordable housing, Medicare for all, universal basic income and a living wage. Despite his alignment with the Democratic Socialists of America, he said that wasn t something he focused on while running for Congress. “People were not talking about socialism, they were looking for change,” Rabb said Tuesday afternoon. “They re looking for a fighter. They re looking for folks who are going to have bold policy directives that are go