Pennsylvania Democrat Dwight Evans, who sits on the powerful Ways and Means Committee and had been dogged by health issues, announced on Monday that he would not seek reelection.
“Serving the people of Philadelphia has been the honor of my life,” Evans said in a statement Monday. “And I remain in good health and fully capable of continuing to serve. After some discussions this weekend and thoughtful reflection, I have decided that the time is right to announce that I will not be seeking re-election in 2026.”
He has represented his western Philadelphia district since 2016. His retirement will likely spur a crowded primary for the safe Democratic seat. Former Vice President Kamala Harris carried the district by 77 points last fall, according to calculations by The Downballot, making it the bluest seat in the nation.
Evans, 71, had a stroke in May 2024. He missed every vote until the end of the year, dropping his vote participation rate to about 37 percent, according to vote studies compiled by CQ Roll Call. He returned on Jan. 3 for the opening votes of the 119th Congress. Since then he missed less than a dozen House floor votes.
His public service career began more than four decades ago. Evans served for 35 years in the Pennsylvania House, where he rose to become the top Democrat in that chamber’s Appropriations panel.
Before coming to Congress, Evans made several unsuccessful runs for higher office, including for lieutenant governor in 1986 and governor in 1994. He also ran twice for the mayor of Philadelphia but never made it out of the primary.
His chance at the Philadelphia-area House seat came in 2016. Evans won the primary, which included incumbent Rep. Chaka Fattah, who was embroiled in an ethics scandal. Fattah resigned from Congress in June following his conviction on federal corruption charges, and Evans in November won a special election for the remainder of Fattah’s term and the general election. He has comfortably won elections since.
From his seat on Ways and Means, Evans has made addressing poverty a central focus. In late 2020, he lobbied Democratic leaders for a targeted COVID-19 relief bill that would address immediate economic needs, citing skyrocketing joblessness and hundreds of thousands in Pennsylvania who faced potential eviction. The following year he put forward a plan centered on expanding affordable housing in the United States, with a price tag of $63 billion.
He is also a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, where he has previously worked on economic development issues.
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