The race for the Democratic nomination for the 3rd Congressional District seat held by Rep. Dwight Evans is beginning to heat up with the release of the Q4 fundraising numbers.

The Q4 numbers are often a window at how successful (or not) candidates are at selling their message to donors. It could be measured in numbers of individual donors. It could be measured in terms of contributions from labor organizations or other political action committees. Either way, it has certainly separated the large field into competitive tiers entering February.

State Sen. Sharif Street, the son of former Philadelphia Mayor John Street, tops the list after raising $348,487.28 with a campaign with just north of $525,000 in hand. For the election cycle, the former PA Dems chair has brought in approximately $700,000.

In terms of sheer contribution numbers, political newcomer Dr. Ala Stanford posted the largest number at $467,227.92, although the pediatric surgeon personally loaned her campaign $250,000. She has the second-largest total in the bank at $392,037.33.

Dr. Dave Oxman is right on Stanford’s heels with $356,998.72 cash on hand. The intensive-care physician raised $108,479.53 and also is assisting in self-funding, making a loan to his campaign of $75,000.

A pair of state representatives – Morgan Cephas and Chris Rabb – may not have the same ability as Stanford or Oxman to fund their campaigns. Cephas, who represents the 192nd Legislative District in the PA House, brought in $85,310 and has six figures in the bank with $108,657.57. Rabb, who represents the 200th District, had a stronger Q$ with $126,690.57 coming in, but had a surprising $280,970.62 going out. He has $98,721.11 in hand.

One of the bigger surprises in the period from October 1 through December 31 was the performance of Pablo McConnie-Saad‘s campaign. Seldom considered among the top contenders by pundits, the former Biden Treasury Department staffer brought in $119,221.25 while spending an under-the-radar $50,402.81. McConnie-Saad sports $68,818.44 entering the first quarter of 2026.

Four other Democratic candidates filed their reports as well. Cole Carter, a senior software engineer, brought in nearly six figures at $95,947, but also spent all but $11,216.14 of that total. Karl Morris, computer science professor, raised just under $12,000 with $16,287.32 in hand. Jahmiel Jackson, the youngest candidate for Congress in the country at 24, secured $15,368.83 in contributions but has under $6,500 to work with. And Robin Toldens filed that her campaign has not raised nor spent $5,000 during the fourth quarter.

Alex Schnell, the endorsed Republican candidate, just recently filed his paperwork with the FEC, while the other announced GOP candidate, Sheila Armstrong, filed that her campaign has not raised nor spent $5,000 during the fourth quarter.

Street, Stanford, Oxman, Rabb, Cephas, and McConnie-Saad, along with Schnell, have been invited to participate in a 3rd District Congressional Forum on Monday, Feb. 9, beginning at 7 p.m. at the Church of the Holy Trinity, 1904 Walnut Street.

The forum is sponsored by the Center City Residents Association and PoliticsPA.

The event is free and open to the public, although tickets are requested due to limited seating.