Progressives seek another big primary win in the nation’s bluest House district

2026 ElectionProgressives seek another big primary win in the nation’s bluest House districtProgressives aligned with Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are looking at the race to succeed retiring Rep. Dwight Evans in Philadelphia as another turning point.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Congressional candidate Chris Rabb at a campaign event at Garden of Prayer World Prayer Center in Philadelphia.Joe Lamberti / Bloomberg via Getty ImagesShareAdd NBC News to GoogleMay 19, 2026, 9:07 AM EDTBy Allan SmithProgressives are cautiously optimistic that they can capture the nomination for a congressional seat in Philadelphia in a race against the Democratic Party’s center-left establishment on Tuesday.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.It would give the insurgent left a third high-profile primary win in the last year, following New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s defeat of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Rep. Analilla Mejia’s victory in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District.Now, Pennsylvania state Rep. Chris Rabb, a favorite of progressives, is taking part in what amounts to a three-way contest to replace retiring Rep. Dwight Evans in Pennsylvania’s 3rd District. Rabb’s supporters and those backing his opponents — Dr. Ala Stanford, a pediatric surgeon, and state Sen. Sharif Street, a former chair of the state Democratic Party — see the race as a jump ball heading into Tuesday’s vote. Congressional candidate Sharif Street.Sharif Street for CongressBut Rabb, who was joined by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., at a rally on Friday, is looking to benefit from his rivals splitting the center-left vote, a dynamic that has helped boost progressives elsewhere.“[T]o the billionaire class, the Epstein class, we’re coming for you,” Rabb said at the rally with Ocasio-Cortez on Friday. “You’re not safe, your money will not protect you. We’re coming for you. See, we’re worried that they’re c...