Dr. Ala Stanford, the physician and public health leader who rose to prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic, announced she is running for Congress in Pennsylvania’s 3rd District. With the endorsement of retiring U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans, Stanford enters a competitive and increasingly crowded field for the Democratic primary.
The 54-year-old Philadelphia native emphasized her modest local roots, public school education and support from the community in her announcement speech Wednesday morning, but also took aim at Republicans in Congress.
“Philly made me,” she told supporters. “And now, I’m ready to fight for Philly in Washington … So yes, I am running for Congress. The same MAGA-controlled Congress that joined Donald Trump in shutting down the federal government at midnight last night.”
The 3rd Congressional District, which includes large portions of North and West Philadelphia, is in one of the most deeply blue districts in the country, making next year’s May 19 primary the de facto battleground, with the winner most likely going on to take the seat.
Evans, 71, has been a fixture in Philadelphia politics for more than four decades. First elected to the state House in 1980, he rose to become the powerful chair of the Appropriations Committee in Harrisburg before winning his congressional seat in 2016 when he unseated then-Rep. Chaka Fattah. His decision not to seek reelection marks the end of a long political era.