Dwight Evans missed hundreds of congressional votes after a May stroke. But he says he's healthy enough for reelection

PHILADELPHIA — After U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans suffered a stroke in May, he put out a statement saying he expected to be back to work in six weeks.

Nearly five months later, Evans, 70, still isn't back in D.C. — and has missed hundreds of votes in Congress.

The Philadelphia Democrat, who is currently running unopposed for a fifth term in office, acknowledged on Wednesday that his rehabilitation is taking longer than expected and that he now plans to return to Washington when the House is back in session in November, beginning the week after the election. He says he's fully prepared to serve his forthcoming term.

"Although I had expected I'd be back, with the rehab and recovery, I had to take my time and go through the process, and that's sorta on me," Evans said in a 30-minute phone conversation with The Inquirer, his first interview since his stroke.

While the House is narrowly divided, it has not taken up much legislation of significance over the summer months. Yet Evans is still a notable absence. Since his election to Congress in 2016 until last year, he rarely missed an opportunity to vote. For one period, from October 2020 to June 2022, he didn't miss a single roll call, according to congressional voting records.

But in 2023, Evans started missing votes. And of 346 missed votes during his eight-year congressional career, 262 of those absences occurred this year.

While Evans was listed as a cosponsor of a bill introduced in July, he has not been recorded as voting on any roll call votes at all since May 8, roughly two weeks before his office publicly announced his stroke as "very minor."

Evans, who also served 36 years in the Pennsylvania General Assembly, said he's taken some constituent meetings in his district and is eager to return to Washington, "but the fact of the matter is I've been very deliberate ... following orders and instructions in terms of things I need to do. Everyone heals at different paces."

He said he goes to outpatient therapy three days a week for physical rehabilitation, largely focused on restoring mobility to his leg. He is not using a wheelchair but has used a cane.

House rules provide some permissible exceptions for chronic absenteeism, including health issues. Evans said he has been in touch with Democratic leadership about his rehab. Evans lamented there is no longer proxy voting in the House after Republicans took control of the chamber in the 2022 election.

"That used to be available," he said of the proxy system adopted during the pandemic. "We all are human. The fact of the matter is nobody's exempt from this type of situation."

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., went on leave from Congress from February to April of 2023 to receive treatment for depression. He missed about 50 roll call votes during that time.

Fetterman's absences and health-related absences of other Senate Democrats around the same time, including Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., who died in 2023, garnered national attention because losing their votes could prevent the passage of legislation.

Evans' leave has received significantly less attention, likely because Democrats are in the minority in the House and the Philadelphia lawmaker's missed votes don't factor into whether majority Republicans can pass their agenda.

Evans says he's prepared to serve his full 5th term

Evans said he is cognitively fine and plans to serve a full term after his presumptive reelection in November. He handily won his primary in May against former Register of Wills Tracey Gordon, and there is no Republican running against him in a district that routinely elects Democrats by nearly 40 points.

But the reliably Democratic seat is one that several other politicians in Philadelphia are not so subtly coveting.

Rumors were already swirling last year about whether Evans would even seek another term. State Rep. Chris Rabb, D-Philadelphia, set up an exploratory committee for a potential run in October 2023, but never entered the race.

He's one of several Philadelphia lawmakers known to be interested in the seat. Pennsylvania Democratic Party chair Sen. Sharif Street has said that if Evans were to retire, he would run for the job, something he confirmed Wednesday.

Political insiders also said State Rep. Morgan Cephas, D-Philadelphia, has been floated as a possible successor to Evans.

An elected official in the district with knowledge of Cephas' plans, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that she would "definitely" run against Evans, even if he were to seek a sixth term.

"I'm used to that," Evans said of the political chatter. He said he had no one in mind for an eventual successor and would "let the people decide."

"In the primary, I think I got 86%. That will be up to the public, not me. I'm focused on serving my time. The key thing is, I'm going to do the job the people elected me to do."

Looking ahead to November

Evans' illness also took him away from the campaign trail as a surrogate in a city that is key to Vice President Kamala Harris' chances of winning the White House. He recorded a video last week urging people to get out and vote.

The legislator said he was looking forward to an important budget vote next month. With Republicans' thin majority, even a few absent congressmen can potentially tip the scales.

Evans is also a member of the powerful Ways and Means Committee and the forthcoming year could be monumental for tax policy in the country, which he said he's eager to dive back into. He also sits on a subcommittee that deals with health, and like other lawmakers who have faced health challenges, he said that role has become more personal.

Asked if he'll run again in two years, Evans said he's focused on getting back to Washington.

"I understand who I work for. The people are the ultimate ones who make the decision so I don't take anybody for granted."