The Democratic primary in Pennsylvania’s 3rd congressional district race has emerged as yet another race where U.S. support for Israel has become a major issue.
Among the candidates vying to replace retiring Representative Dwight Evans is Chris Rabb. In addition to pushing a progressive domestic agenda, the five-term state representative has consistently championed Palestinian rights.
“Palestine is a core issue to this race because it is a microcosm of what is wrong with imperialist American foreign policy,” a spokesperson for Rabb’s campaign told Mondoweiss in a statement. “This nation would rather send money to kill kids in Iran and Gaza than fund schools at home. People are tired of it, and you’re seeing it in the grassroots energy we have in Philly.”
Rabb’s support for Palestine goes far beyond criticisms of Israel Lobby groups, or Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. He’s called for Palestinian self-determination, a permanent ceasefire in the region, the release of all Palestinian prisoners being held without due process, a weapons embargo on Israel and, and the Right of Return for Palestinian refugees.
These positions have earned him the support of Palestine advocates in the district, which encompasses several parts of Philadelphia.
“It’s clear to me that the Democratic party has failed to build a vision for a society that is sustainable for everyone and the working class was abandoned by the party, “Sarah Browning, a longtime Philadelphia activist and poet told Mondoweiss. “Rabb has a vision where everyone can thrive.”
Browning says that Rabb’s consistency on Palestine has resonated with sectors of the community that felt betrayed by the Democrats’ most recent presidential campaign.
“This was a huge issue in the 2024 election,” she said, referring to the genocide in Gaza. “I think people stayed home, or they voted for Harris, but they didn’t organize on behalf of her.”
“Chris came out a long time ago with a level headed approach,” said Samuel Kuttab, a Palestinian-American and co-founder of the Philadelphia-based Prayers for Peace Alliance, “He’s called for an end to the occupation and he called out the genocide early. He has the ability to stand firm against the Democratic machine that stuck in his old ways.”
“For us, we need people on the federal level who have the guts to speak out,” he added. “Too many people won’t do it. Rabb votes his conscience and his platform is strong.”
AIPAC’s role
Rabb’s two main opponents are Pennsylvania State Senator Sharif Street and surgeon Dr. Ala Stanford.
Despite potentially becoming Philadelphia’s first Muslim congress member, Street has attempted to stake a middle ground in regards to the issue. He’s called Netanyahu a war criminal, but is backed by the liberal Zionist group J Street and has refused to call for conditions on military aid to Israel.
“I think the perspective of the press is always just Middle Eastern Muslims who come to this country with a very long, recent history of … concerns about Israel in the Middle East,” Street told Jewish Insider in March. “That’s not all Muslims.”
Stanford has also criticized the Netanyahu government, but at a recent debate she told the crowd that referring to Gaza as a genocide was akin to calling a black person the n-word.
“I know when you use the g-word, how hurtful it is to a group of people…every time you shout that from the rooftops, how many people are you hurting,” she asked the crowd.
When pressed on the comments, she doubled down, saying, “For Israelis who’ve been accused of committing it, it’s hurtful for them.”
Stanford has repeatedly denied taking contributions from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). However, a recent report from Drop Site News reveals that the controversial pro-Israel lobbying group is funneling money into her campaign through the 314 Action Fund Super PAC, which has spent more than $2.6 million on Stanford’s campaign.
“The structure allows Stanford, a pediatrician, to distance herself from the group’s increasingly toxic political reputation with the American public, while still benefiting from its cash outlays,” Drop Site reporters Ryan Grim and Julian Andreone explain.
Prominent progressive figures have coalesced around the Rabb campaign, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA), and the popular left-wing streamer Hasan Piker, who has faced a barrage of criticism from centrist Democrats over his anti-Zionism. Rabb is also backed by a number of progressive organizations like the Sunrise Movement and Justice Democrats.
Usamah Andrabi, the Communications Director of Justice Democrats, points out that the Pennsylvania district is the bluest in the country and that AIPAC would secure a major victory if they are able to influence such a race.
“AIPAC’s stranglehold on the Democratic party is dying. They’ve become so toxic that their endorsement has become a kiss of death,” Andrabi told Mondoweiss. “Not only has their position gone sour because of the organizing of Palestinians and activist groups, but because people have watched a genocide be live-streamed.”
“Rabb so clear on who he is fighting for, ” he added. “He embodies the fight over this issue within the party.”
Momentum for Rabb
Beyond groups like Justice Democrats, Rabb has also been endorsed by mainstream institutions such as The Philadelphia Inquirer, which is one of the longest continuously operating daily newspapers in the United States.
The editorial board’s op-ed takes specific aim at Stanford’s aforementioned comments about the word “genocide.”
“While this board shares her antipathy toward vulgarity — and it is important to avoid engaging in antisemitism while criticizing the behavior of Israel’s government — it must be clearly stated that the word genocide is not a slur,” notes the board. “It is a phenomenon that has happened throughout history, to groups of many faiths and nationalities. It includes not only the Holocaust, but also the fledgling Republic of Turkey’s killing of Armenians, Assyrians, and other minorities, the slaughter of 8,000 Muslim Bosnians in Srebrenica at the hands of Serbian nationalists, and the campaign of Rwandan Hutu extremists to kill minority Tutsis.”
The existing polling points to a competitive race. A Public Policy Polling survey from earlier this month showed Stanford leading Rabb by just 5 points.
The primary election is May 19.
