I think there was some rancor happening locally about whether it was time for him to go ahead and retire as he has been forced to miss votes due to his health. He hasn't really had much of any type of primary challenge in the past but this year it looks like things were about to change. This article came out 10 days ago (before today's announcement) -
Prominent Philly Dems, including party chair Sharif Street, are lining up for Dwight Evans’ U.S. House seat
Updated June 20, 2025, 4:52 p.m. ET | Published June 20, 2025, 4:14 p.m. ET
Democratic interest in primarying U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans is getting louder. State Sen. Sharif Street, the state Democratic Party chair, said Friday he is considering a primary run against the 71-year-old Philadelphia congressman who suffered a stroke last year. “I’m weighing my options but I have a tremendous amount of respect for the congressman,” said Street, 51, whose district includes parts of North Philadelphia. “Congressman Evans has had some real health challenges that everyone knows about and that obviously is causing us to stand ready.”
State Rep. Morgan Cephas, 40, who represents parts of West Philadelphia and chairs the Philadelphia delegation in Harrisburg, said it’s a race she is “absolutely considering.” “I’m assessing all situations, all circumstances, with whomever is in the race,” she said.
It’s a more forceful admission of interest than either has expressed before this week, given that Evans has spent 40 years in public office, first in Harrisburg and since 2016 in Congress. Street previously said he would not run as long as Evans sought reelection. A spokesperson for Evans’ campaign, Mike Dineen, said in a statement that “at this time the Congressman is still planning to run for reelection. He’s working hard for his constituents in Philadelphia and representing them down in Washington D.C.”
State Rep. Chris Rabb’s name has also been floated. The 55-year-old progressive lawmaker represents Mount Airy and parts of West Oak Lane and Chestnut Hill. He said while it’s not “on his bucket list ... if there was a call to action by the growing anti-fascist movement to recruit a progressive candidate for this congressional district, I would give it serious consideration.”
(snip)
Evans is literally the old-school liberal - very community-focused and not really ideological.
= new reply since forum marked as read