Two months after winning a primary to likely become the first democratic socialist representing Philadelphia in Congress, State Rep. Chris Rabb on Tuesday joined forces in the city with U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, a California progressive kicking off a week of events across the state as he considers running for president in 2028.
The like-minded Democrats share a similar progressive platform, and Khanna endorsed Rabb ahead of the competitive primary to replace U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans (D., Philadelphia) in May.
In a sign that the alliance might continue when Rabb enters Congress in January — and potentially beyond as the party considers its options for the next presidential race — the two kicked off Khanna’s statewide tour Tuesday in Philadelphia.
Khanna, a Bucks County native who has represented parts of the Bay Area since 2017, is pitching a “Progressive New Deal,” invoking President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s platform, which led to the creation of Social Security and other programs.
The California lawmaker called for the U.S. to end military aid to Israel and recognize Palestinian statehood as the war in Gaza nears its third year. And he called for progressive economic reforms and the tackling of corruption, which Khanna framed around the case of notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his associations with the rich and powerful.
“I believe we need a ‘New Deal’ for the 21st century,” Khanna said. “We’re going to have people like Chris [Rabb] and others that are building that momentum. We need bold progressive Democrats: morality on foreign policy, morality on [Jeffrey] Epstein, and a bold economic vision to make this country work not just for the few but for all of us.”
Khanna is among a slate of Democrats who have branded their platform as “New Economic Patriotism” with a focus on affordability and corruption issues during the first two years of President Donald Trump’s second term.
Rabb, a five-term state lawmaker from East Mount Airy who ran an unabashedly progressive campaign, has said he is eager to join allies in Congress after the November election, in which he faces no Republican opponent to represent about half of Philadelphia.
On Tuesday with Khanna, he outlined some of the platform that helped propel him to defeat a pair of more centrist candidates, and that he hopes to carry to Capitol Hill.
“The issues we’re talking about resonate with a lot of people when you remove the labels,” Rabb said. “Medicare for All. You know, universal childcare. Federal jobs guarantee. No more endless wars. Acknowledging the genocide [in the war between Israel and Gaza].”
At the Philadelphia City Institute library in Center City, where about 50 people listened and asked questions, Khanna spoke of his upbringing and how he watched people around him struggle after the closure of the Fairless Works steel factory in 2001.
“My values were shaped in Bucks County,” said Khanna, who has described his week of events in Pennsylvania as a homecoming. “It’s shaped who I am. And I think Bucks County is a symbol for America.”
But he sees the current anxiety and frustration of achieving the American dream. “I really want to offer a vision about how we can have the economic prosperity,” he said.
Now, Khanna said, he represents the district that houses Silicon Valley and holds one-third of the nation’s wealth. He said he hopes his advocacy there to tax the billionaires who live in his district helps people all the way to Pennsylvania.
“We’re in a second Gilded Age,” Khanna said. “I’m saying tax the billionaires in my district and in California so we can pay for free healthcare, so we can have free childcare in this country, so that we can have free college in this country.”
His itinerary this week included two planned stops in Philadelphia and others across the state, including a Thursday event in Pittsburgh with U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio, a potential primary challenger to Democratic Sen. John Fetterman in 2028 who shares Khanna’s economic platform.
Rabb has advocated for a similar economic populism, including universal basic income and the Green New Deal.
Since the primary, Rabb has both campaigned for other similar candidates and visited Washington, where he appeared on stage with Deluzio in June to discuss the surging left — a theme expounded upon again Tuesday.
Several democratic socialists have won congressional primaries this year in blue districts, including Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier in New York. Rabb endorsed them, as well as Melat Kiros, who beat 30-year incumbent U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette in a Colorado primary.
Rabb said he would want to see a viable progressive candidate in the 2028 presidential election, but he did not specifically endorse Khanna, who could be among several such candidates in a crowded field.
U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.), who also campaigned for Rabb in May, and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who has had a frosty relationship with him, are also expected to be among the contenders for the nomination.
“It’s coming up in a moment where there’s extraordinary organizing among folks who are very, very concerned about where we’re going as a nation, and the extent to which we can rely on conventional Democrats to deliver the type of justice and the result we seek,” Rabb said.
