As he continues to recover from a minor stroke, U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans is excited about getting back to work helping his constituents and helping Vice President Kamala Harris over the presidential finish line.
Congressman Dwight Evans meets with Chad Dion Lassiter (left), executive director of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, and PHRC staff members on Oct. 15. The PHRC representatives presented Evans with the commission’s Governmental Partnership Award.
(Photos courtesy Rep. Evans’ office)
By Denise Clay-Murray
We’ll start this story on Congressman Dwight Evans (D-2nd Dist.) and his return to public life with a sports analogy.
Congressman Dwight Evans has been a starter in the City of Philadelphia’s political team for many years. For 36 years, he was a member of Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives, rising to become chair of the House Appropriations Committee.
Currently, he’s running for his fourth term as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and usually, you’d see him at various political events, stumping for Democratic candidates like Sen. Bob Casey and Vice President Kamala Harris.
But the political athlete that is Dwight Evans has been rehabbing an injury. In May, the Congressman had a minor stroke. Because of this, he spent some time in a rehab center and followed his doctor’s orders to get back on the field.
And although he’s not quite ready to be in the starting lineup, mostly because Congress is out of session due to the elections, Evans is slowly coming off the bench.
Congressman Dwight Evans meets with members of the Philadelphia chapter of the Recording Academy of Music on their Advocacy Day, Oct. 1. (Photos courtesy Rep. Evans’ office)
“I’ve been in my district office doing constituent work,” he said. “In the last couple of weeks, I’ve been meeting with people in my district office. I’m bouncing back.”
The SUN spoke with Evans about his recovery, his personal agenda once he gets back to Congress, and the importance of voting up and down the ballot in this election.
SUN: Thank you for giving us some of your time today, Congressman. I guess that my first question for you is kind of obvious: How are you?
DE: As you know, I had a stroke. I started out going to the University of Pennsylvania Hospital first, and had to go through rehabilitation. I’ve listened to what the doctors said and [have] gone through the process that you have to go through. Obviously, a stroke is something that you need to take very seriously. This is the first time that something like this has affected me. So, I’ve been going through rehabilitation. I’ve been in the office a couple of days during the week.
SUN: What are you hearing from your constituents now that you’re back? I’m sure that they were concerned about you. What kinds of conversations have you been having?
DE: No question. Well, you know, obviously they are truly concerned, not just about me, but just about the challenges they had today, and particularly with an election with days to go.
SUN: That was actually my next question. I know that under normal circumstances you’d be on the campaign trail right now with Vice President Kamala Harris. What are your constituents saying to you about the election?
DE: You know, they feel very passionate about Harris. They look at the skill set she has, and she has demonstrated that, particularly regarding leadership. You may recall that some time ago, I had her on Ogontz Avenue. She has been someone who I think very highly of, and she’s a real asset.
I’ve been encouraging people to vote. I’ve been doing some interviews. I stress the part about not taking anything for granted, because this is going to be a close election. And one thing about Harris is that she’s not taking anyone for granted. She is doing all the things that she needs to do, and we just need to come out and vote and not take anything for granted.
SUN: In the spirit of not taking anyone for granted, one of the groups that has said that the Harris campaign isn’t paying enough attention to them is Black men. At the time that we’re doing this interview, Harris just announced a series of efforts dedicated to the needs of Black men. What did you think about that, and as a Black man who has worked with her, do you agree that she hadn’t paid enough attention to the needs of this voting bloc?
DE: You know, I personally think she has. But you don’t take anything for granted.
SUN: While everyone is paying attention to the top of the ticket in this election, which makes a lot of sense, those aren’t the only races on the ballot. You also have congressional races. For example, you’re running for reelection, and control of the House and Senate is at stake. Do you think that we’re paying enough attention to the bottom of the ticket?
DE: Senator Bob Casey’s race is a very important race. All of the races, including the state races like Auditor General, the Attorney General, the Treasurer, all those offices are extremely important. The State Legislature is important because [Democrats] want to keep the majority in the House. Because I was a member of the House for 36 years. I know about the importance of having the majority in that body.
SUN: You’re running for reelection as well. It’ll be your fourth term in office should you win. Is there anything you would like voters to know, and what are you hoping to take on once you go back to Congress?
DE: I hope that the voters — because the power is in the hands of the people — see me still functioning in my office, still average. And you know, my office meets the people. I’m still meeting with people and encouraging them to come to the office. We want to be receptive and available to them.
When I get back to Congress, we’ve got some things to do. Parts of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act expire this year. So, we’re going to be handling that.
SUN: Well, thank you so much for your time, Congressman Evans. I’m glad that you’re doing better.
DE: Thank you. And don’t forget to vote, everyone.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5. If you have already applied for and received a mail-in ballot, it must be postmarked by Nov. 5 to be counted in this year’s election. You can also drop off your ballot at any of the City’s mail-in ballot boxes or at a Philadelphia City Commissioner’s satellite office. Visit: https://vote.phila.gov/about-us/satellite-election-offices/ for a list of locations.
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