Democrat · Pennsylvania's 3rd District · 2026
Chris Rabb
Rabb enjoys researching family history, and his own includes the founder of the Baltimore Afro-American newspaper.
Biography
Chris Rabb's campaign logo recreates lettering from his ancestor Jack Rabb's Mississippi meat market.1 An avid genealogist, he is also descended from John H. Murphy Sr., founder of the Baltimore Afro-American newspaper.23 He lives in East Mount Airy with his two sons.3
A graduate of Yale and the University of Pennsylvania, he worked as a Senate legislative aide and as a writer, researcher and trainer at the White House Conference on Small Business during the Clinton administration.3 While a visiting researcher at Princeton, he wrote Invisible Capital, his 2010 book about the unseen forces shaping entrepreneurial opportunity.3 He later taught social entrepreneurship and organizational innovation at Temple's business school.3
First elected to the Pennsylvania House in 2016, he has represented Northwest Philadelphia through five legislative terms.1 His 2025 death penalty repeal bill advanced from committee in April 2026 and was then laid on the House table.4 He also sponsored legislation to authorize ranked choice voting in municipal elections.5
He calls himself a democratic socialist and campaigns on Medicare for All, universal basic income and a living wage.16 His platform also proposes national grocery stores, free high speed public transit and expanded broadband.6 He faces Independent Party candidate Dennis Mahoney for the open Philadelphia House seat in November.7 There is no Republican nominee.8
Record and controversies
Instagram repost and response
In May 2026, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Rabb's campaign Instagram account had reposted a video suggesting the gunmen in the December 2025 Bondi Beach Hanukkah massacre were likely Zionists.9 His campaign said a former staffer posted it without his knowledge and that he rejected the comment.9 It subsequently told Jewish Insider that he condemned the post, while declining to identify the former staffer or provide dismissal details.10
Former treasurer's fraud conviction
Rabb reported unauthorized campaign withdrawals in February 2026 and replaced his treasurer.11 In September, the former treasurer pleaded guilty to federal wire fraud, admitting a scheme involving roughly $1 million in losses across twenty clients, including Rabb.12 The report describes his campaign as a victim and says sentencing was scheduled for January.12