There are plenty of candidates in the race to succeed Congressman Dwight Evans, and more and more are filing to run.
Participant number 11 is Isaiah MartinThe 25-year-old developer and executive director of Empowered CDC, which runs community programs in Southwest and Southwest Philadelphia, including parts of Evans’ 3rd Congressional District.
Martin announced his candidacy on Sunday, saying he would seek “a voice for the voiceless, a voice for the people who have been forgotten. A voice that will hold this government and this administration accountable and deliver real results for our citizens.”
He preceded him Pablo McConnie-Saada Bella Vista resident and former U.S. Treasury adviser in the Biden administration who worked on the project implementation of immaculate energy tax credits in the Act on Reducing Inflation.
McConnie-Saad announced this on October 28. He has said he wants to “fix the corrupt system,” which means “dismantling the political patronage system, banning members of Congress from trading stocks, and fighting any attempt to cut health care and the social safety net to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy.”
The two first-time candidates join a vast group of seasoned elected officials and political novices hoping to replace Evans, who plans to step down in 2026 after 10 years of service in Congress and before that as a state representative for 36 years.
Polish women, doctors and IT specialists
Pennsylvania’s Third Congressional District covers about half of the city, including West Philadelphia, part of North Philadelphia, most of downtown, and part of South Philadelphia. It is considered the most democratic district in the country. No Republican is expected to run, and the winner will likely be determined in the May 19 Democratic primary.
Elected officials running are a state senator. Sharif Streetformer chairman of the state Democratic Party and son of former Philadelphia Mayor John Street; Rep. state Chris Rabb from Northwest Philly, known for his very progressive views; and state representative Morgan Cephas from West Philadelphia. All have served in the state office since 2017.
The most notable of the newcomers is Unfortunately, Stanfordpediatric surgeon and former federal health official who gained recognition for enabling Covid-19 testing of Black residents during the pandemic. Evans recruited her to run and she supported herand is reportedly in the process of moving back to Philadelphia from Montgomery County.
The next doctor in the race is Dave Oxmancritical care physician at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and resident at Bella Vista. A computer science professor from Temple University also participates in the program Karl Morrisformer city employee Robin Toldenssoftware engineer Cole Carterand candidate Gabriel Caceres.
An early poll conducted in August, before many of them had declared, suggested the race was fairly open. After reading the candidates’ biographies, 18% of respondents chose Stanford, Street and Rabb 17% each, and Cephas 9% each.
Given that it’s a very left-leaning district, the candidates have similar views and priorities, and political differences won’t have much of an impact on the primary outcome, political consultants told Billy Penn. Instead, name recognition, fundraising and campaign discipline will facilitate determine who achieves a slim margin of victory.
Fundraising begins
Given the money race, Oxman has reported the most donations so far this year: He has received $389,000 — including $100,000 in campaign loans — and about $332,000 in the bank as of Sept. 30. Street raised $352,000 and, including funds transferred from her previous campaign account, had $372,000 in cash on hand.
Rabb earned $257,000, some of which he spent on consulting, advertising and other expenses, leaving him with $181,000. Cephas raised about $156,000 and had $119,000. Morris had collected $38,000 in contributions and had $12,000 left.
Stanford, who entered the race on Oct. 1, and the other candidates have not yet filed campaign finance reports, although McConnie-Saad said last month that he received more than $100,000 after declaring his candidacy.
While Stanford has the backing of Evans and presumably some of those who have supported him in the past, Street appears to be ahead in the competition for major-party endorsements.
The state senator is supported by the Building and Construction Council, a big-spending group of more than 30 unions, and city Democratic Chairman Bob Brady said Inquirer he expected Street to win the party’s endorsement later this year. The street also praises annotations from current and former board members, gun violence advocates, and leaders of LGBTQ+ organizations.
