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Dwight Evans (born May 16, 1954) is a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 2nd congressional district. He defeated incumbent Chaka Fattah in the 2016 Democratic primary election, and won a special election on November 8, 2016, following Fattah's resignation from Congress. He previously served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, representing the 203rd District (Philadelphia County).
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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.
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Evans was first elected to office in 1980. The district, which encompasses West Oak Lane in Philadelphia, is heavily Democratic with a 95% African-American population. As a result, he had minimal GOP opposition in winning re-election to his seat.
Prior to his election to Congress, Evans ran 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 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.
2016 U.S. House of Representatives campaign
In November 2015, Evans announced that he would run for Pennsylvania's 2nd congressional district in 2016 against Democratic incumbent Chaka Fattah.
He won the Democratic nomination on April 26, 2016, defeating Fattah. Having also won the special election to fill the seat following Representative Fattah's resignation. Evans was sworn in on Monday, November 14, 2016.