But while the candidates for the job<\/a> do agree on a lot, at a forum Tuesday night in Germantown, five of the contenders made clear they would bring very different life experiences and a variety of priorities to Washington if elected.\u00a0<\/p>\n Two of the state legislators running for the position, Sen. Sharif Street and Rep. Morgan Cephas, cited their accomplishments as legislators and ability to get things done. State Rep. Chris Rabb, meanwhile, attacked billionaires and corporations who he said push for policies that harm lower-income people.\u00a0<\/p>\n Dr. Ala Stanford pointed to her work bringing COVID testing and vaccinations to Black neighborhoods and her stint as a federal health official, while Dr. Dave Oxman described his insights from working in intensive care for 20 years and criticized the high cost of health care.<\/p>\n A spirited, standing-room-only crowd filled the senior center on Germantown Avenue where the two-hour-long forum was held, frequently applauding and cheering candidates\u2019 answers to questions posed by the moderator, state Rep. Andre Carroll. The event was sponsored by the 12th and 59th ward organizations.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to be real selective in this process,\u201d 12th ward Democratic leader Ted Stones said. \u201cWe need a warrior in Congress. We need somebody that knows the government, knows how it works, and we need somebody who can work the government. We need somebody who\u2019s business wise. We need somebody who\u2019s a statesman.\u201d<\/p>\n The Democratic primary on May 19 will likely determine who wins the November election, since there are no Republicans running.\u00a0<\/p>\n Not present on the stage were the five other declared candidates. They are Empowered CDC CEO Isaiah Martin, former Biden administration official Pablo McConnie-Saad, Temple University computer science professor Karl Morris, former city employee Robin Toldens, and software engineer Cole Carter.<\/p>\n The organizers only invited candidates \u201cwith established public service records and existing accessibility, which allowed for timely outreach and confirmation,\u201d Patrick Jones, the 59th ward Democratic leader, told the Chestnut Hill Local<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Affordable housing and repair help<\/p>\n The questions covered topics including the interruption of SNAP grocery benefits during last year\u2019s government shutdown, affordable housing and displacement, unconstitutional actions by the president, healthcare policy, federal education funding for low-income communities, and policy toward Israel.<\/p>\n Street, the son of former Philadelphia mayor John Street and the race\u2019s fundraising leader so far, noted that he was an affordable housing lawyer before he entered the legislature. He said he supports Sen. Elizabeth Warren\u2019s bill to restrict housing ownership by private equity investors, which she says is driving up housing costs, and called for expansion of federal low-income housing tax credits<\/a>, particularly for community development organizations.<\/p>\n \u201cNot just the range of the tax credits, but the number of them, because there are not enough units that are being developed in that way,\u201d Street said. \u201cWe cannot do this solely with for-profit developers, although they will play a role. We\u2019ve got to make sure that communities are engaged and we\u2019re developing housing that people want to live in, and we\u2019ve got to make sure that the money is there.\u201d<\/p>\n Stanford, a political newcomer who Evans recruited to run, recalled growing up in Section 8 and public housing, and having to move suddenly when her mother couldn\u2019t pay the rent. She discussed the importance of informing low-income homeowners about tax relief and home maintenance assistance programs, and noted the links between housing, financial stability, health and racial justice.<\/p>\n \u201cI know what it means to have a home where you can lay your head, where you can have some heat, and I will support that, because wealth is linked to home ownership, and we need more of that so people can continue to have generational wealth in their families,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Preventing displacement<\/p>\n Rabb, a vocal progressive who has served in the state House since 2017, answered the question on housing and displacement by criticizing \u201cbillionaires who support Democrats\u201d and citing the battle in 2023 and 2024 over a proposed Center City basketball arena<\/a>. Critics had argued the facility would cause gentrification in nearby Chinatown and price out many residents.<\/p>\n \u201cAre we going to be part of those folks who have the political will and vision and care to do what\u2019s right?\u201d he asked. \u201cI don\u2019t take corporate PAC money, and I never have. Follow the money. When we talk about displacement, we\u2019re talking about an agenda fueled by greed, and that greed is connected to who they choose to invest in when folks are running for office. That matters.\u201d<\/p>\n Cephas, who has represented a section of West Philly in the legislature for nine years, talked about the dire shortage of affordable housing in a city where 47% of homes are rented. She also stressed the need to help owners of older houses<\/a> fix their roofs \u2014 as she had to do when she bought her 100-year-old home \u2014 and make other repairs that help them avoid having to sell and move.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have to ensure that things that we\u2019ve been able to accomplish in Harrisburg \u2014 like the Whole-Homes Repair Program \u2014 that we make that national so you can afford to repair that roof without going into significant debt,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_9964.jpeg\")
A 3rd Congressional District candidates forum drew a standing room-only crowd to senior center in Germantown. Jan. 13, 2026. (Meir Rinde\/Billy Penn) <\/p>\n