Ala Stanford gave Michael Nutter his first COVID vaccine. Now he’s endorsing her for Congress.
Stanford also has the backing of retiring U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans, who she is hoping to replace.
Former Mayor Michael Nutter endorsed Ala Stanford, a pediatric surgeon who rose to prominence in the city for her response to the COVID-19 pandemic, in the crowded primary race for the 3rd Congressional District.
“While some were giving speeches, she was giving shots,” Nutter said in remarks at the West Philadelphia church where he launched his political career.
“While some were talking about what should be done, she was out in the streets doing what needed to be done, at great risk to herself and others when people were getting sick and dying. Dr. Ala Stanford ran toward the danger, while most of us were safely in our homes.”
In thanking Nutter for his backing, Stanford said she was running “not because I’ve spent my career in politics. I’m running for Congress because I’ve spent my life stepping up when people needed help and the system wasn’t working.”
During the pandemic, Stanford led the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium, which brought vaccines into communities of color, inoculating thousands of Philadelphians who might not have otherwise had access.
She went on to serve as a regional Department of Health and Human Services director under President Joe Biden and now runs a community health center in North Philadelphia.
She is one of at least a dozen candidates vying to succeed retiring U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans in the 3rd Congressional District, one of the most Democratic districts in the nation, which covers much of Philadelphia. Evans endorsed Stanford upon her entry into the race.
Nutter, who led the city as mayor from January 2008 to January 2016 and before that served on City Council, called Stanford “the only person running, as far as I can tell, who has serious executive, federal government experience,” pointing to her post at HHS.
The former mayor teaches at Columbia University, holds a fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania, and was recently named president of the Board of Directors of City Trusts. Dating back to 1869, the board oversees 119 different entities bequeathed to the city by different benefactors, including Girard College and Wills Eye Hospital.
In the 2023 mayoral contest, Nutter endorsed former Controller Rebecca Rhynhart over a field that included several sitting City Council members, including Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, who won the contest. He also got involved in the 2020 presidential election, endorsing former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s short-lived campaign.
Nutter’s endorsement of Stanford comes a week after former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, who also served two terms as Philadelphia mayor, endorsed State Sen. Sharif Street in the contest.
Street, the first candidate to enter the race, has amassed the most Democratic establishment and organized labor support so far, but there are five months to go before the May primary and most political observers think any of four candidates — Street, Stanford, State Rep. Morgan Cephas, and State Rep. Chris Rabb — could take off.
Street’s father, former Mayor John Street, was Nutter’s immediate predecessor as mayor.
Stanford has a strong personal backstory, but as a first-time candidate she could face an upward climb in fundraising and establishing herself beyond her expertise in healthcare.
She said last week she sees most issues as interconnected with healthcare and that expertise as an asset.
“My team and I, we’ve gotten lots of advice about ‘you gotta talk about housing.’ Housing is health,” she told The Inquirer. “‘You need to talk about affordability.’ But that is prescription drugs. ‘You need to talk about safety in our communities.’ … All those issues bring me back to healthcare. … And I’m an expert in the space.”
Staff writer Anna Orso contributed to this article.