Democratic Socialist Chris Rabb Wins Primary in Deep-Blue Pennsylvania District
Democratic Socialist and self-proclaimed “troublemaker” Chris Rabbwon his primary in Pennsylvania’s third congressional district — the state’s only majority black district and the bluest House seat in the entire country.
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Rabb, a five-time Pennsylvania state representative, garnered an outpouring of support during his primary campaign from the most progressive sect of Democrats. Endorsements included those of Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.), Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.), and Maxwell Frost (D., Fla.). Rabb easily secured the Democratic nomination, quickly outpacing his opponents on election night.
Representative Ro Khanna (D., Calif.) and Senator Chris Van Hollen (D., Md.) also threw their support behind Rabb before Tuesday’s election.
Notably, Rabb was the second endorsement of the Democratic Socialists of America in this congressional election cycle. “DSA is incredibly proud to endorse Rep. Rabb and make sure our voices are heard in the halls of power!” DSA said in its endorsement of Rabb. “Rep. Rabb is our second Congressional endorsement this cycle. He has some tough opponents, and AIPAC and other dark money groups are already boosting his opponents.”
Rabb believes he is the best candidate because he’s a “real troublemaker.”
“We know that the next member of Congress is going to be Black, we know they’re going to be a Democrat. The question is, what kind of Democrat are we sending to Congress amidst great dysfunction and chaos?” Rabb told Politico. “I am the troublemaker of the three, and I believe we need a real troublemaker in troubled times. We need to shake things up.”
Rabb attended a rally with left-wing social media streamer Hasan Piker at the end of last month, when Piker threw his support behind Rabb. Piker frequently expresses antisemitic beliefs and notably said that the United States “deserved 9/11” back in 2019.
Rabb said he was not aware of Piker’s controversial comments before associating with him.
“I’m not aware of the language he’s used. I’m recently aware of who he is through my sons, actually,” Rabb said.
Rabb also said he did “not necessarily” plan to research Piker’s past comments before appearing as a guest on his show. “There’s no feedback when folks go on Bill Maher. And he’s said some very problematic things. There was no real pushback when Bernie Sanders went on Joe Rogan who has consistently said problematic things.”
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Pennsylvania’s third congressional district includes Philadelphia, the state’s largest city and the sixth-most-populous city in the United States.
In Tuesday’s primary, Rabb’s most formidable opponents were Ala Stanford and Sharif Street, who secured around a quarter of the vote each.
Stanford was endorsed by Representative Dwight Evans (D., Pa.), who currently represents the third congressional district and is retiring, and who said that Stanford “more than anybody has the ability to bring [people] together.”
Street, who came in second place behind Rabb, was endorsed by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison. He also earned support from Philadelphia’s Democratic establishment, but it was not enough to secure Tuesday’s win.
Both Stanford and Street said they would support Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in his bid to be speaker of the House, while Rabb withheld his endorsement, saying he wants to wait and see who else enters the field.
Ocasio-Cortez rallied beside Rabb on Friday, claiming that “the very foundations of our democracy are being shaken with the attacks on the Voting Rights Act.”
“This moment matters,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “And if you want to change the Democratic Party, we have to change the kind of Democrats that get elected to serve in Congress.”
According to Rabb’s website, he has spent his career “challenging corporate power, advancing social justice, and standing up for communities too often ignored by political insiders.”
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