To understand why Dr. Ala Stanford is running to become the next U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania\u2019s Third Congressional District, look no further than the Black Doctors Consortium at 21st Street and Lehigh Avenue in North Philadelphia.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Inside the nationally recognized community health facility Stanford founded to serve the surrounding low-income neighborhoods, she made the case that Capitol Hill needs more people who have a visceral understanding of what their constituents experience \u2013 and what they need.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou need people who understand the people they\u2019re fighting for,\u201d Stanford told City & State in a sit-down interview. \u201cThe people making laws about our health care (and) subsidies have nothing to do with the people they\u2019re representing, so they don\u2019t know anyone that is feeling the wrath of what they\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stanford has first-hand experience with what Philadelphians in need go through \u2013 and, she made clear, if it weren\u2019t for Title I funding and public scholarships, she wouldn\u2019t be where she is now. As she looks ahead, Stanford said, she wants to help as many kids in Philadelphia as possible get opportunities like she had.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI grew up in Section 8 housing, and I needed food stamps and subsidies so that my parents could take care of us. I was the public school kid that needed Title I funding. I got GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) money from Congressman Chaka Fatah, which is how I paid for college, because I was poor enough and smart enough \u2013 that\u2019s how I got the money,\u201d Stanford said. \u201cThere\u2019s tons of kids like that in Philly that haven\u2019t had that opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stanford said she\u2019s running for Congress to fight back against the \u201cdisastrous policies\u201d of the Trump administration, with a focus on food programs, education and affordable housing \u2013 all things she knows through experience can improve public health outcomes and community development.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve built all this stuff, but I started right here in this community, as an impoverished child, just wanting something more,\u201d Stanford added. \u201cI came to give back whatever I can and show that it is possible, even when your parents are teenagers \u2013 and even when you grow up in the projects \u2013 that you can do something meaningful and impact people\u2019s lives.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 55-year-old Philadelphia native, who has been a practicing physician for more than 20 years, received national recognition in 2020 for founding the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium, which spearheaded efforts to test and vaccinate Philadelphians, particularly in low-income communities.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In 2022, Stanford was appointed by President Joe Biden as the Health and Human Services regional director for the mid-Atlantic region, overseeing efforts to rebuild communities most affected by COVID.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now, Stanford is bringing that service mindset to a congressional campaign that received an immediate boost shortly after its launch in October 2025.\u00a0<\/p>\n
U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans, whose retirement announcement in the commonwealth\u2019s 3rd congressional district sparked this crowded Democratic primary<\/a>, quickly endorsed Stanford over experienced legislators and party mainstays, including state Sen. Sharif Street.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Transition time<\/p>\n Stanford, who developed a close working relationship with Evans before even considering a run for Congress, said she constantly \u201cpicked his brain\u201d when she began working in the Biden administration, so it was no surprise that when the news broke that Evans was set to retire at the end of his sixth term, Stanford began receiving calls from colleagues about running.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAll my friends from D.C. started calling me,\u201d Stanford said, \u201csaying, \u2018It\u2019s time. It\u2019s time for your run. You know you\u2019ve got the story, you\u2019ve done the work, you\u2019ve got federal experience, you have community roots, you\u2019re an entrepreneur \u2013 and health care is one of the single biggest topics right now. You should run.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Stanford, who is part of a crowded primary featuring candidates from a wide variety of backgrounds, including politicians and physicians, received a glowing endorsement from Evans. Not long after, former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter endorsed Stanford, bringing another high-profile supporter to Stanford\u2019s side.\u00a0<\/p>\n Nutter, who hadn\u2019t met Stanford in person until she was putting the COVID-19 vaccine in his arm, said Stanford\u2019s service mentality \u2013 particularly during the height of the pandemic \u2013 showed her true capabilities as a leader and public servant.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis is someone who just made a very personal, professional policy decision to do something in the midst of the worst pandemic since 1918, and organized doctors and others to help save people\u2019s lives,\u201d Nutter, who is a longtime friend of Evans, told City & State. \u201cI think that\u2019s extraordinary service to the public.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Nutter added that Stanford \u201ccoming after a great public servant like (Evans) is the kind of transition of leadership that we need, not only in the 3rd congressional district but in public life.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s got the receipts of her work,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Receipts on record<\/p>\n Despite her government stint, Stanford still considers herself a political \u201coutsider\u201d in the race \u2013 and she\u2019s not the only one.\u00a0<\/p>\n