With fewer than four days to go until Pennsylvania’s primary election, hundreds of Philadelphia area voters packed the Garden of Prayer Church in North Philadelphia on Friday night to see US House Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) campaign for State Rep. Chris Rabb (D-Philadelphia).
“You have a district so blue you ran the Republicans out of town. There is not even a Republican registered to run in November. That’s how blue this district is,” Ocasio-Cortez told Rabb’s supporters to thunderous applause.
She added: “If you want to change the Democratic Party, we got to change the kind of Democrats that get elected to serve in Congress, and you got to elect Democrats like Rep. Rabb if you want our nation to change.”
Rabb is running for Congress against State Sen. Sharif Street (D-Philadelphia) and Dr. Ala Stanford in Pennsylvania’s 3rd Congressional District, and has a viable path to victory on Tuesday following the implosion of Stanford’s campaign in the weeks leading up to the primary election.
Stanford, who helped work with the City of Philadelphia’s COVID-19 pandemic response and was caught failing to disclose nearly $1 million in income from her nonprofit during that period, had the backing of 314 Action, an organization committed to supporting scientists or doctors running for office.
314 Action, which DropSite News reported has ties to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), withdrew their support from Stanford after their polling showed Rabb ahead of Street and Stanford.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the Philadelphia Democratic Party, which is backing Street, released a poll that showed Rabb with a slight lead ahead of Street in the closing days.
Rabb and Street have gotten their support from two different parts of the Democratic Party.
Street has the backing of Philadelphia’s political establishment and support from the Philadelphia AFL-CIO, the Philadelphia Building Trades, and other labor unions, while Rabb has the support of the Democratic Socialists of America, Working Families Party, and high-profile progressive lawmakers in the US House and Senate.
Moments after walking onto the stage Friday evening with tears pouring down his face, Rabb was caught up in the emotion of the moment with his supporters cheering him on.
“ You keep showing up for me, and you keep showing up for each other. That’s why I’m running because if we don’t show up for each other now, in this moment, who will?” Rabb said to his supporters. “I surround myself with aggressively fabulous public servants, but the problem is there are too many politicians in elective office, and politicians are those who serve themselves and moneyed interests.”
At the event, Rabb was flanked by some of Philadelphia’s top progressive lawmakers in the Pennsylvania General Assembly and Philadelphia City Council who have scored major victories since 2015.
“ We have a once in a lifetime opportunity to elect a real progressive to this seat, someone who will fight for working people,” Philadelphia City Councilmember Kendra Brooks, a member of the Working Families Party, said. “This is not the moment for capitulation. This is a moment for courage, and Chris [Rabb] has that courage.”
Brooks was elected to city council in 2019, and has been an advocate for affordable housing after losing her home in a sheriff’s sale in 2014.
“ Chris had the courage to fight back when either party tried to hurt people for the benefit of big corporations. He had the courage to stand up to Trump. He had the courage to push for bold policies for working people when they need it.”
