Whether it’s the city’s love for Rocky or the Eagles, Philadelphia always loves a good underdog story, but don’t tell that to State Rep. Chris Rabb (D-Philadelphia) following his recent congressional primary victory.
According to Rabb, the momentum was always on his side.
“ I’m used to being considered the underdog, but I was never the underdog because I knew that this was a political moment that was rife for someone who was anti-establishment, someone who was left of center, and someone who embraced grassroots organizing as a key component of campaigning,” Rabb said in an interview.
“ That’s the hallmark for how I stayed in office and beat the machine three times before I even considered running for Congress,” he added. “So I wasn’t really an underdog in terms of the numbers, in terms of my ability to raise.”
Last month, Rabb defeated state Sen. Sharif Street (D-Philadelphia) and Dr. Ala Stanford in a primary to replace US Rep. Dwight Evans (D-Philadelphia), who is stepping down at the end of this term.
Rabb is running unopposed in the November election, and is all but guaranteed a spot in Congress come Jan. 2027.
It was the first time in nearly a generation that North Philadelphia had an open congressional primary, and progressive organizations and coalitions backed Rabb as he faced off with the Philadelphia Democratic Party machine-backed Street.
This past weekend, Rabb was one of the highest-profile attendees at the Netroots Nation conference, an annual event that attracts thousands of progressive activists, organizers and Democratic consultants. This year’s edition was held at the Philadelphia Convention Center.
Here are some highlights from our interview with Rabb at Netroots Nation.
State Rep. Chris Rabb and US Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) at a campaign rally in Philadelphia on May 15, 2026.
Rabb against the Machine
Q: You’ve never been endorsed by the Philadelphia Democratic Party. In fact, you’ve had primary challenges against you put up by the city party, and you beat those back every time. What does that say about the city party?
“ This victory is proof that the Democratic machine of Philadelphia is on its deathbed because the entire political class supported one opponent or another and we won by 15 points. So if that’s not a confirmation that this is a paper tiger, I don’t know what is.
The fact that I’ve always beaten them by wider margins every time suggests that the ward system and entrenched power is only in name only, and what that means is we have an opportunity to overhaul the local Democratic Party so that it is inclusive, it’s transparent, it’s accountable, and it’s based on public integrity that brings more people in and diffuses power instead of just concentrates it, and now is the time to make that happen.”
Rabb’s start as a blogger in the 2000s
Q: You mentioned while introducing yourself to the Netroots Nation crowd about being a blogger 20 years ago. How did that shape your political views and get you into politics?
“ We’re part of the Netroots movement. It was called New Media back then, participatory journalism.
We were folks who didn’t wait for permission from corporate media or from political apparatuses, and we said, ‘We are going to tell our stories. We’re gonna hold people to account. We’re gonna provide our opinions and make sure that more people hear different voices.’
That was a way of embracing our respective agency as citizens, as content creators. We didn’t call it back then using the platforms that we could to reach as many people as we could to raise the level of civic literacy that otherwise was pretty low. And so I think that’s stayed with me.
I also come from a family that owns the Baltimore Afro-American newspaper, which is over 125 years old. So I have an appreciation for independent media, and as a state lawmaker, I have legislation that actually seeks to fund and strengthen independent media across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”
Joining The Squad
Q: What are some things you’re looking forward to doing while you’re in Congress?
“ I’m looking forward to being part of a squad that actually is doing the real work and is not afraid of corporate Dems, not afraid of the Epstein class, but doing the righteous work and being in community with folks who are already in Congress so I can join their fabulosity.
That was not something that I experienced in Harrisburg, but I will be going into a very well-organized, very influential group of unapologetic progressives and leftists who are doing the work for the people and, and that really inspires me.”
Q: Do you think your victory will inspire others in the state who are running for Congress?
“Since I won, that’s what everyone has been saying, which is why I’m trying to pay it forward and support other progressive candidates across the state and across the country. That impact is significant. Mamdani influenced me to run. All of these influences transcend state borders and political boundaries. So yes, to the extent that I have a positive influence on other candidates, that’s wonderful, but I also want to make sure that I help them win and that we can govern together.”
‘We have to de-Trumpify government’
Q: When you get to Congress, one of the things you’ll be voting on next year will be the Epstein files. I don’t think it’s gonna go away. What actions will you like to see next year, and what does accountability look like?
”We have to de-Trumpify government and we have to hold everyone to account using our full authority as members of the House of Representatives, so that’s one. But we also have to create a bold new vision for a post-Trump world because that’s only gonna last maybe two years, if not sooner.”
Q: And what does that look like?
“It’s one thing to use him as the orange piñata and score political points, but that’s not policy.
What are the policies, what is the agenda that we’re gonna embrace as Democrats so that people closest to the pain feel like they’re part of something bigger than themselves and are gonna actually address the material needs of people who are struggling the most?
That’s what we have to focus on. We have to fight fascism, we have to tax the ultra wealthy, and we need to address affordability, not from the standpoint of how do we give folks more money so that they can maintain themselves on the hamster wheel, but how can we destroy that hamster wheel and make sure we move towards shared prosperity?”
