Rep. Dwight Evans’ Health Is About to Become a Primary Issue

Since he was first elected in 2016, Rep. Dwight Evans has sailed past primary challenges in his deep-blue Philadelphia seat. But with a flurry of Democratic competitors this cycle, as well as health concerns following a stroke last year, 2026 could be a different story.

Three Democrats have already filed to run against Evans. And given concerns that some Democrats are too old and too sick to hold office — President Joe Biden was pushed out of the 2024 race less than a year ago, and three congressional Democrats have died in office this year, compared to zero Republicans — the 71-year-old congressman may be in for a real fight.

Evans has represented the district since 2016. In May 2024, however, he suffered a stroke. And while he initially planned to be out for six weeks, Evans ended up missing votes for seven months. He’s been back in Washington and voting since January, but his health is still a major question leading into the 2026 midterms, particularly at a moment when older members of Congress are facing a number of primary challengers.

“Our district deserves consistent representation, ethical leadership, and bold advocacy,” Robin Toldens, one of the emerging challengers to Evans, said in a statement to NOTUS. “Recent gaps in representation and missed votes highlight the need for fully engaged leadership.”

Tolden added that Evans has been an elected official for more than 40 years, first in the Pennsylvania General Assembly and then in Congress. “He deserves to enjoy the fruits of his labor as well as to take real time to recover from the cerebrovascular accident he experienced last year,” Toldens said.

Toldens is one of three challengers who have filed to run against Evans in the 2026 primary, with all three challengers having relatively little political experience. Toldens is a former city government employee and real estate agent. Dave Oxman, another Democrat primarying Evans, is a physician and associate professor of medicine at Thomas Jefferson University. And the third candidate, Gabriel Caceres, did not respond to a request for comment.

Any incumbent challenger is likely to be a long shot with Evans’ long history of politics in Philadelphia. He was first elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1980, and served two decades as the powerful Appropriations chairman.

But Evans isn’t universally loved among Democrats.

The progressive group Justice Democrats has kept its eye on Evans’ district, and while the group has only endorsed one Democratic primary challenger so far this cycle — Donavan McKinney in Rep. Shri Thanedar’s Michigan district — Justice Democrats plans to roll out more endorsements in the coming months.

“We talk to a lot of activists, advocates, workers on the ground, labor,” Usamah Andrabi, the communications director for Justice Democrats, told NOTUS. “In Philly, just like in a lot of other districts, that’s what we’re doing right now.”

It’s already clear that 2026 could be different from recent congressional cycles. Primary challengers have lined up in districts running on campaigns of change, trying to usher in a new generation to replace longtime incumbents they don’t think are meeting the moment.

David Hogg, an activist and vice chair of the Democratic National Committee, unveiled a $20 million plan to support young primary challengers — a move that has drawn uproar from members of the DNC and could potentially lead to his removal.

“The months since this election have made really clear that this Democratic base is ready to clean up shop within the Democratic Party, and they do not want to see the same exact class of Democrats that were sworn into Congress in January get sworn in again in 2027,” Andrabi said.

The Democrats running against Evans argue that now is the time for a change.

“I certainly can’t and won’t comment on representative Evans’ health,” Oxman told NOTUS. “But I do think that a critical part of being a representative is how you communicate.”

“It’s not just about voting, it’s not just about making sure your district gets as many resources as possible; but it’s also communication, both on a local and national level,” Oxman said.

“People who are going to be in Congress have to be able to communicate their vision,” he added. “And, specifically, in a time when Democrats right now don’t have a lot of legislative options to fight Trump, I think that communication is more important than ever.”

Oxman is working with Princeton Strategies, a political consulting firm that has previously worked with Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker and fellow Philadelphia Rep. Brendan Boyle.

Because all three of Evans’ primary challengers have filed in the last quarter, none have publicly declared any fundraising or spending numbers.

But it’s public information that Evans has raised significantly less money than any other member of Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation, earning the dubious distinction of being the only Pennsylvania member to bring in less than $100,000. In fact, he raised just under $40,000 in the first quarter of 2025 — and he spent more than he brought in.

Boyle, the other representative for Philadelphia, raised $220,000 in the same period.

While his lackluster fundraising and spotty voting record could both be problems in the primary, Evans still has plenty of allies.

Bob Brady, the Philadelphia Democratic Party’s chair and a former congressman, said he had no concerns about Evans’ health or his ability to win in 2026.

“He’s in a wheelchair. He’s got some problems with his legs. But he showed up. He does the work,” Brady said. “He’s still active and he’s still showing up and doing his job.”

Evans’ ongoing health issues after his stroke are still evident on the Hill. He’s only missed six votes since January, but he’s still using a walker. And it regularly takes him about 20 minutes to walk from his office in Longworth to the Capitol for votes, a commute that takes most other members about five minutes.

Fifteen minutes before votes were scheduled to begin Tuesday night, Evans made his way from his office to the Capitol with a walker and a staff member.

When asked by NOTUS about the primary challengers, Evans said it was “up to the voters.”

And when pressed about his challengers raising specific concerns about his age and health, Evans said he was “going to session right now to represent the district.”

He said he is running for reelection, and a spokesperson for the Evans campaign backed that up, telling NOTUS, “Congressman Evans has every intention to run for reelection at this time.”

Another Democrat in the Pennsylvania delegation, who spoke to NOTUS on the condition of anonymity, said they also fully expect Evans to run for reelection.

“He’s had vigorous challenges before and won by pretty big margins,” this lawmaker told NOTUS. “So I would be surprised if there was really trouble.”

But whether the voters want Evans to run is the real question.

Oxman said that, in Philadelphia — which he called “one of the last political machines in the country” — voters are ready for new leadership.

“We’ve seen here in Pennsylvania and in my district that many, many people have lost faith in some of our leaders,” Oxman said. “People are looking for something different.”

—
Katherine Swartz is a NOTUS reporter and an Allbritton Journalism Institute fellow.