Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez endorses Chris Rabb in Philadelphia congressional race

U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the New York Democrat who is a face of the national progressive movement and seen as a future presidential contender, on Friday endorsed State Rep. Chris Rabb for Philadelphia’s open seat in Congress.

The endorsement is the most high-profile among the candidates running in the Democratic primary to represent the 3rd Congressional District, which encompasses about half of Philadelphia and is considered one of the bluest districts in the nation. And it comes just days after Rabb announced that he will rally with Hasan Piker, an influential and controversial streamer who is popular among young leftists.

Backing from Ocasio-Cortez is the latest sign that national progressives are coalescing around Rabb, a five-term state representative from Northwest Philadelphia.

He has been endorsed by the Congressional Progressive Caucus’ political action committee and has said that if he is elected to Congress, he would be a member of “the Squad,” the House’s left-wing faction, of which Ocasio-Cortez is a member.

Rabb’s campaign said Ocasio-Cortez is expected to campaign in Philadelphia at some point before the May 19 primary election.

» READ MORE: Meet the 4 Democrats vying to replace Dwight Evans in Congress

His coalition is starkly different from those of his two more moderate opponents. State Sen. Sharif Street, the former head of the state Democratic Party, has the backing of the Democratic City Committee, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, and the majority of the city’s mainstream Democrats.

Meanwhile, physician Ala Stanford, a first-time political candidate, has the support of three local sitting members of Congress, including retiring U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans, who currently holds the 3rd District seat. U.S. Reps. Madeleine Dean and Chrissy Houlahan announced their endorsements for Stanford this week.

She is also being backed by a Washington-based super PAC called 314 Action Fund, which supports “pro-science” candidates and recruits doctors to run for office. The group has spent more than $2.3 million on an advertising campaign to boost Stanford.

Though Rabb has been endorsed by a bevy of progressives, the backing from Ocasio-Cortez stands out. She has endorsed only two other candidates this year.

In February, she backed Analilia Mejia in a 13-person primary to fill the North Jersey congressional seat vacated by New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill. Mejia won the primary and prevailed in a general election earlier this month. Ocasio-Cortez also endorsed a progressive candidate in an Illinois congressional race who lost.

Rabb said in a statement that he is “honored” to have her support.

“Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the standard-bearer of this generation of Congress for a reason,” he said. “Her vision for a multiracial working class has resonated from Queens to Philly to every part of this nation.”

An endorsement from Ocasio-Cortez is seen as a way for candidates to unlock new fundraising opportunities. She has a national platform and the potential to reach thousands of small-dollar donors from outside the city.

Through the first three months of 2026, Rabb raised about $77,000 from small-dollar donors in a significant fundraising haul, according to the most recent campaign finance reports. Street and Stanford took in less than $15,000 each from small-dollar donors during the same period, according to an Inquirer analysis.

Rabb has also been endorsed by national organizations, including the Working Families Party, a progressive, labor-aligned third party. The group has spent about $45,000 on pro-Rabb literature, according to a campaign finance report filed last week.

More on the 3rd Congressional District race

• Philly’s three-way fight to replace Dwight Evans in the U.S. House enters a volatile final stretch

• Meet the Democrats vying to replace Dwight Evans in Congress

• Philly’s competitive U.S. House race narrows — but big questions loom

• Sharif Street could become Pa.’s first Muslim member of Congress. But don’t make assumptions about his politics.

• Chris Rabb is trying to be the left’s standard-bearer as he runs for Congress. Will progressives rally around him?

• Ala Stanford is banking on a healthcare message to break through crowded Philly primary for Congress

• Ala Stanford and Chris Rabb are trading accusations as AIPAC becomes a flash point in Philly’s U.S. House race

• After a staffer allegedly took $161K, Chris Rabb rebounds to lead fundraising in Philly’s congressional race

• How two Philly congressional candidates are quietly guiding super PACs in plain sight