Pennsylvania Democrat Dwight Evans Won't Seek Re-Election in 2026
The Philadelphia-based seat is the most Democratic congressional district in the country.
U.S. Representative Dwight Evans of Pennsylvania, a Democrat, has today announced that he will not run for re-election in 2026. His full retirement statement can be found here. He becomes the 16th retirement from the U.S. House of Representatives this cycle, the seventh Democrat to do so, and the third leaving without running for another office.
Evans, 71, has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since November 2016 - holding the state’s 2nd District from November 2016 to January 2019 and the 3rd District since January 2019. The district resides entirely within the city of Philadelphia - covering West Philadelphia, most of Center City, and parts of North Philadelphia. It is currently the most-Democratic district in the entire country.
After college, Evans worked as a teacher in the School District of Philadelphia and was a community activist for the Urban League. Then, he began a lengthy career in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives - serving District 203 from January 1981 to November 2016. Evans sought other offices on a number of occasions but failed in the primaries each time - for Lieutenant Governor in 1986, for Governor in 1994, and for Mayor of Philadelphia in 1999 and 2007.
In 2016, Evans decided to challenge 11-term Democratic incumbent Chaka Fattah in the primary. The incumbent was vulnerable following a criminal indictment on racketeering charges. Evans prevailed by a 42.3-34.4 margin in the four-candidate contest. Two months later, Fattah resigned from office. That triggered a special election. Evans won the special and general election concurrently with over 90% of the vote. He has served for five terms in office.
In May 2024, Evans suffered a minor stroke. That prevented him from returning to the U.S. House for the remainder of the calendar year. He returned to service in early 2025.
During the 119th Congress, Evans serves on the House Committee on Ways and Means. He becomes the second member departing the panel - following Republican Randy Feenstra of Iowa.
After Evans’ announcement, State Senator and Chair of the Pennsylvania Democrat Party Sharif Street confirmed he plans to run - with an official campaign launch coming later. State Representatives Morgan Cephas and Chris Rabb have also expressed interest. Given the partisan lean of the district, a competitive Democratic primary will likely form and the winner will probably become the next U.S. Representative here.
Under the current lines, Democrat Kamala Harris won Pennsylvania’s 3rd Congressional District with an 88.1-10.7 finish against Republican Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election. That came as Trump was flipping the swing state 50.4-48.6 in his ultimately successful national campaign. Evans was re-elected unopposed for his final term in office.