When you’re running to represent the most Democratic-leaning congressional district in the country, you’re probably going to keep your campaign platform within a pretty narrow range of political positions.
That’s according to local political consultants watching the crowded race to succeed Congressman Dwight Evans, who is stepping down from the 3rd District seat he’s held for nearly a decade.
But while the candidates for the job do agree on a lot, at a forum Tuesday night in Germantown, five of the contenders made clear they would bring very different life experiences and a variety of priorities to Washington if elected.
Two of the state legislators running for the position, Sen. Sharif Street and Rep. Morgan Cephas, cited their accomplishments as legislators and ability to get things done. State Rep. Chris Rabb, meanwhile, attacked billionaires and corporations who he said push for policies that harm lower-income people.
Dr. Ala Stanford pointed to her work bringing COVID testing and vaccinations to Black neighborhoods and her stint as a federal health official, while Dr. Dave Oxman described his insights from working in intensive care for 20 years and criticized the high cost of health care.
A spirited, standing-room-only crowd filled the senior center on Germantown Avenue where the two-hour-long forum was held, frequently applauding and cheering candidates’ answers to questions posed by the moderator, state Rep. Andre Carroll. The event was sponsored by the 12th and 59th ward organizations.
“We need to be real selective in this process,” 12th ward Democratic leader Ted Stones said. “We need a warrior in Congress. We need somebody that knows the government, knows how it works, and we need somebody who can work the government. We need somebody who’s business wise. We need somebody who’s a statesman.”
The Democratic primary on May 19 will likely determine who wins the November election, since there are no Republicans running.
Not present on the stage were the five other declared candidates. They are Empowered CDC CEO Isaiah Martin, former Biden administration official Pablo McConnie-Saad, Temple University computer science professor Karl Morris, former city employee Robin Toldens, and software engineer Cole Carter.
The organizers only invited candidates “with established public service records and existing accessibility, which allowed for timely outreach and confirmation,” Patrick Jones, the 59th ward Democratic leader, told the Chestnut Hill Local.
Affordable housing and repair help
The questions covered topics including the interruption of SNAP grocery benefits during last year’s government shutdown, affordable housing and displacement, unconstitutional actions by the president, healthcare policy, federal education funding for low-income communities, and policy toward Israel.
Street, the son of former Philadelphia mayor John Street and the race’s fundraising leader so far, noted that he was an affordable housing lawyer before he entered the legislature. He said he supports Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s bill to restrict housing ownership by private equity investors, which she says is driving up housing costs, and called for expansion of federal low-income housing tax credits, particularly for community development organizations.
“Not just the range of the tax credits, but the number of them, because there are not enough units that are being developed in that way,” Street said. “We cannot do this solely with for-profit developers, although they will play a role. We’ve got to make sure that communities are engaged and we’re developing housing that people want to live in, and we’ve got to make sure that the money is there.”
Stanford, a political newcomer who Evans recruited to run, recalled growing up in Section 8 and public housing, and having to move suddenly when her mother couldn’t pay the rent. She discussed the importance of informing low-income homeowners about tax relief and home maintenance assistance programs, and noted the links between housing, financial stability, health and racial justice.
“I know what it means to have a home where you can lay your head, where you can have some heat, and I will support that, because wealth is linked to home ownership, and we need more of that so people can continue to have generational wealth in their families,” she said.
Preventing displacement
Rabb, a vocal progressive who has served in the state House since 2017, answered the question on housing and displacement by criticizing “billionaires who support Democrats” and citing the battle in 2023 and 2024 over a proposed Center City basketball arena. Critics had argued the facility would cause gentrification in nearby Chinatown and price out many residents.
“Are we going to be part of those folks who have the political will and vision and care to do what’s right?” he asked. “I don’t take corporate PAC money, and I never have. Follow the money. When we talk about displacement, we’re talking about an agenda fueled by greed, and that greed is connected to who they choose to invest in when folks are running for office. That matters.”
Cephas, who has represented a section of West Philly in the legislature for nine years, talked about the dire shortage of affordable housing in a city where 47% of homes are rented. She also stressed the need to help owners of older houses fix their roofs — as she had to do when she bought her 100-year-old home — and make other repairs that help them avoid having to sell and move.
“We have to ensure that things that we’ve been able to accomplish in Harrisburg — like the Whole-Homes Repair Program — that we make that national so you can afford to repair that roof without going into significant debt,” she said.
A bill that would create a federal version of the home repair program has been proposed by a group of U.S. senators, including Sen. John Fetterman.
Oxman, a South Philly resident and Jefferson Health physician, said real estate development must occur in a way that keeps in mind residents’ financial struggles. Wages are stagnant, many Philadelphians can’t afford the average rent of $1,900 a month, and more than half of residents are cost-burdened, meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on rent, he said.
“That has to change, and that’s particularly hard in low-income neighborhoods. So while development can be a boon for neighborhoods, it has to be done in a way that is respectful of the people who are already living here and cognizant of their needs as well,” he said.
Everyone hates Trump
Some of the strongest language of the night came in response to a question about how Congress should “reassert itself” in response to unconstitutional actions by President Donald Trump, as well as another one about Israel.
Stanford said Trump could only be removed from office by impeachment or because of “incapacity,” and she noted his health problems: vascular insufficiency that causes swollen legs, “elements of forgetfulness” and possible cardiac issues. “He’s about to be 80, so that could happen,” she said.
Cephas called the president “the distractor-in-chief” who is “already off the rails,” has “gone past being unconstitutional” and should be impeached. Rabb said “constitutionality clearly does not matter to the people in power” and called for Supreme Court term limits and expanding the court. As for Trump, “we need for McDonald’s to take its course,” he said, referring to the president’s eating habits.
Oxman said that, in South Philly terminology, the Trump administration is a “daily dumpster fire,” and he contended its recent Venezuela incursion has “all the classic Trumpian features” of being immoral, illegal and incomprehensible.
Street said Trump is “out of control, but there are things we can do.” He cited lawsuits he was a part of that protected early voting and ballot drop boxes against Trump administration attacks ahead of the 2020 election.
In response to a question about how they would respond to an office visit from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the five candidates all condemned Israeli’s actions in Gaza and the death toll there.
Oxman, the only Jewish candidate on the stage, called Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu the worst Jewish leader in thousands of years and scolded AIPAC for equating criticism of Israel with anti-semitism. Sharif, the only Muslim candidate, said Israel has a right to exist and Palestinians should have a state, and argued Netanyahu should be prosecuted for committing war crimes.
Stanford said she believed in a two-state solution and the U.S. should not be supporting wars “that harm and kill children and families.” Cephas didn’t discuss Israel, but said she occasionally meets with groups she disagrees with, like the National Rifle Association and the Fraternal Order of Police. “I do not believe in closing your door to any organization,” she said.
Rabb’s answer was perhaps the most direct. “F— AIPAC,” he said, to a burst of applause from the audience. “They are a racist organization and I will not meet with them.”
He criticized the group for “destroying candidates’ lives” after the candidates labeled the Gaza war a genocide, and said he stands with rabbis and his Jewish constituents who have criticized Israeli’s treatment of Palestinians and want peace.
