PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Pennsylvania’s primary election on Tuesday gives Democrats in Philadelphia’s Third Congressional District the first chance in 10 years to send someone new to represent them in the U.S. House. If history is a guide, it may also be their last chance in a decade.
Just three candidates are still in what was once a 12-way race, but the remaining candidates offer voters a clear choice:
- State Sen. Sharif Street, the scion of a political family, endorsed by the City Committee, is the establishment candidate.
- State Rep. Chris Rabb, an outspoken critic of Israel’s war in Gaza, a proponent of free transit and basic income guarantees, is a progressive firebrand.
- Dr. Ala Stanford, a political newcomer who became prominent by forming the Black Doctors COVID Consortium to provide testing and vaccines to underserved communities during the pandemic, is the outsider in the race.
While the candidates share many common goals — a higher minimum wage, universal health care, affordable housing, day care and more education spending — their styles and approaches are markedly different, even in the ways they spent the closing days of the campaign.
Rabb campaigns with AOC
U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, of New York, campaigns for Pennsylvania state Rep. Chris Rabb in Philadelphia’s Third Congressional District, May 15, 2026.Pat Loeb/KYW Newsradio
Rabb’s premier event was a rally on Friday with progressive star and would-be colleague U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York. After a drumline and fiery speeches from supporters, including leaders of the Democratic Socialists and Working Families Party, Ocasio-Cortez told the crowd of several hundred in a North Philadelphia church that Rabb was the best candidate for the current political moment.
“The question is not whether this community will elect a Democrat but what kind of Democrat this community will elect,” she said, referencing the Third District’s status as the bluest seat in the House. “You’ve got to elect Democrats like Rep. Rabb if you want our nation to change.”
In an interview earlier that day, Rabb said his path to victory was in the passion of his voters.
“They’re seeing themselves reflected in a campaign for perhaps the first time in their lives,” he said.
Stanford pounds the pavement
Dr. Ala Stanford (left) talks to voters in Germantown on May 15, 2026.Pat Loeb/KYW Newsradio
Stanford was out that day, pressing the flesh with voters on several neighborhood commercial corridors. In Germantown, Star Copes recognized Stanford and approached with her daughter, Shay.
“Hello, beautiful,” Stanford beamed, throwing out her arms, “Are you a hugger?”
Copes was excited to tell Stanford she and Shay had just mailed their ballots and voted for her.
“I’ve seen all the stuff that you’ve done and you’re just getting out there, and I want you to continue going,” Copes said.
A passing car honked; the driver rolled down his window and shouted to Stanford that she had his vote.
Stanford, who complained late in the campaign about “misogynistic lies” by her opponents, said she felt good going into the final days.
“I’m excited when folks see me and they’re like, ‘You did it for us before, you’re going to do it again,’” she said. “That refuels me because it lets me know the trust people have and the expectations they have for me to represent them in a truthful, transparent and driven way.”
Street connects on SEPTA
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker greets SEPTA riders and campaigns for state Sen. Sharif Street, May 14, 2026.Pat Loeb/KYW Newsradio
Street spent Thursday morning walking through subway cars and greeting commuters, almost a metaphor for his deep ties to Philadelphia’s establishment. Yes, his father is former Mayor John Street, but he’s formed his own power base, evident in endorsements from multiple labor unions, the Black Clergy and the party faithful. On Thursday, Mayor Cherelle Parker joined him on the Broad Street Line, telling voters she needs a partner in Congress.
“I need a fighter in D.C. who will bring resources back to the city,” she said. “He’s already done it in Harrisburg.”
Notably lower key than his opponents, Street seemed unimpressed with their more soaring rhetorical style.
“Delivering tangible results is how I have viewed my job in Harrisburg,” he said. “It’s how I will view my job in Congress, too.”
A seat that’s a sinecure
The district is the only one that lies completely within city limits, comprising North, Northwest, Center City and parts of South and West Philadelphia. It’s been 30 years since there’s been an election without an incumbent on the ballot, going back to Chaka Fattah’s first term. Dwight Evans defeated Fattah in 2016, after Fattah’s corruption indictment, and has held the seat ever since. Evans announced he would not run again after a stroke. He endorsed Stanford in the race to succeed him.
There’s been no independent polling to show which candidate holds an edge.
There is no candidate for the seat in the Republican primary.
