U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans, who suffered a stroke in May, was not present for the vote in Washington as his colleagues prepared to vote on a short-term spending bill that would avert a government shutdown.
But Evans, 70, who won re-election in November, said in a statement posted on his website that he would return after the fresh Congress is sworn in on Jan. 3.
Democrats will then need it as Republicans look to push through the legislation with the narrowest majorities in contemporary history.
“While I am very keen to return to Washington as soon as possible, my medical team has advised me to continue my rehabilitation and recovery before resuming regular travel to and from Washington,” Evans said in a statement posted last month on his congressional website.
He said his doctors’ goal is to “make sure my leg and mobility is in better shape so I can get back to full duties.”
In May, Evans said he expected to return to work in six weeks. In an interview in early October, he told The Inquirer that he would return in November.
The latest update was posted on Evans’ House website on Nov. 19 and comes as Republicans are poised to take narrow control of the House and Senate.
Republicans will start with a five-seat majority in the House, but their grip could weaken as three additional GOP seats are expected to remain vacant in early 2025 until a special election is held.
This will make Democratic turnout crucial.
Evans, who represents Philadelphia, is beginning his fifth term. From 2016, when he was elected to Congress, until last year, he rarely missed an opportunity to vote. For one period, from October 2020 to June 2022, he did not miss a single roll call, according to congressional voting records. However, since May 8 after his stroke, Evans has not voted in any roll call votes.
The House did not allow it voting by proxy since Republicans took control of the chamber in 2022.
Evans said in a statement that he continues to attend founding meetings in his district and his offices remain open. Last weekend he attended the Philadelphia Eagles game against the Pittsburgh Steelers posed for a photo with fellow Democratic U.S. Reps. Brendan Boyle and Mary Gay Scanlon, State Rep. Morgan Cephas, and Mayor Cherelle L. Parker.
The congressman, who also served in the Pennsylvania General Assembly for 36 years, emphasized that the stroke did not affect his cognitive functions and he looked forward to returning to Washington.
Evans’ reliably Democratic seat is one that several other Philadelphia politicians have been eyeing in recent years.
Pennsylvania Democratic Party Chairman Sen. Sharif Street said if Evans were to retire, he would run for the position. Political insiders also say Cephas has been floated as a potential successor to Evans. State Rep. Chris Rabb (D., Philadelphia) established an exploratory committee for a potential October 2023 run, but never entered the race.
