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Dwight E Evans

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Preceded by
  
James Jones

Alma mater
  
La Salle University

Name
  
Dwight Evans

Political party
  
Democratic

Profession
  
educator


Born
  
May 16, 1954 (age 69) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (
1954-05-16
)

Residence
  
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Dwight Evans (born May 16, 1954) is a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, representing the 203rd District (Philadelphia County).

Contents

Early life and education

Evans grew up in the Germantown and West Oak Lane sections of Philadelphia and is a graduate of the Community College of Philadelphia and La Salle University. After graduation, he became a teacher in the School District of Philadelphia and a community activist for the Urban League.

Political career

Evans was first elected to office in 1980. His district, which encompasses West Oak Lane in Philadelphia, is heavily Democratic with a 95% African-American population. As a result, he has had minimal GOP opposition in winning re-election to his seat.

Since taking office, Evans has run for higher office four times unsuccessfully. In 1986, he sought the Democratic nomination for Lieutenant Governor but finished third in the primary election to future Lieutenant Governor Mark Singel.

In 1994, Evans became the first African American candidate to seek the office of Governor of Pennsylvania. In the Democratic primary election, Evans faced off with Lynn Yeakel and Lt. Governor Singel. He won endorsements from the Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Daily News and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Again, however, Evans finished third in the primary with 22%.

Evans has since made two runs for Mayor of Philadelphia. In 1999, in the race to succeed Ed Rendell, Evans finished fifth with 4.7% of the vote in a crowded primary won by John Street. In 2007, despite comments by Governor Rendell that Evans was the "best qualified" for mayor, he finished fifth again taking only 7.82% of the vote.

Evans was elected as the Democratic Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee in 1990 and served in that capacity until November 2010.

In 2010, the Philadelphia Tribune named Evans one of the 10 most influential African-Americans in the city.

Other activities

  • Board of Directors, Fox Chase Cancer Center
  • Board of Trustees, Pennsylvania Public School Employees Retirement System
  • National Board of Directors, Black Alliance for Educational Options
  • References

    Dwight E. Evans Wikipedia