Hey Philly! Let’s Hire a Congressperson

Help us write a job description for the candidates vying to replace Philadelphia’s U.S. Representative Dwight Evans — and then join us to help interview them for the job

Hey Philly! Let’s Hire a Congressperson

Help us write a job description for the candidates vying to replace Philadelphia’s U.S. Representative Dwight Evans — and then join us to help interview them for the job

BY Courtney DuChene

Feb. 17, 2026

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Election season is right around the corner and that means all eyes, locally and nationally, are once again on Philly. (Yes we know it seems far away, but primaries are May 19).

This year, Pennsylvania’s 3rd District — which encompasses a large swath of the city — will elect a new congressperson to the U.S. House of Representatives. For 10 years, Democrat Dwight Evans repped the District. But last June, more than a year after suffering a stroke, he announced his retirement. The District is one of the most diverse and most solidly Democratic — 88 percent of its voters turned out for Kamala Harris in 2024 — in the country. The primary race for his seat has quickly drawn a large number of candidates, representing nearly every faction of the Democratic Party.

Candidates have shared their views on everything from healthcare and housing policies, to how Congress should handle President Donald Trump. Few, however, have asked them how they’ve learned from failure, how they manage their teams, and what from their careers demonstrates their ability to get shit done for constituents.

That’s where The Citizen’s Ultimate Job Interview comes in.

Unlike most candidate forums in which politicians are asked the same policy questions over and over, the purpose of the Ultimate Job Interview is to interview candidates for the jobs they are seeking by asking them the kinds of questions about leadership, character, management, experience and priorities that job applicants face. Each candidate will be interviewed for about 20 minutes by a panel of HR professionals, executives and journalists.

We first held Ultimate Job Interviews during Philadelphia’s 2023 mayoral primary and have continued it over the years for a number of races, including the 2024 attorney general primary and general election and the 2025 district attorney primary.

Now, we’re holding one for the 2026 U.S. Democratic Congressional primary for the 3rd District, which covers most of Center City, Fairmount, Northwest Philadelphia, and much of West and South Philly.

The event will be held March 18 at the Fitler Club in Center City, starting at 5pm. We’ve invited the five leading candidates in terms of fundraising and polling. Each will be interviewed by our panel of experts for about 20 minutes. You can register for the event here.

Before the event, we’re asking Philadelphians what they think their representative should do. Your responses will help us develop a citizen-generated job description that will inform the questions asked at the event.

Tell us what YOU want your congressperson to do

We’re looking for as many Philadelphians as possible to fill out this short form and to share it with Philly friends and family. We’re accepting responses through March 3. We’ll gather the responses and use them to develop a public job description. (You can read the one we wrote for Philly’s mayor here).

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - SEPTEMBER 4: U.S. Congressman Dwight Evans (D-PA) talks to the crowd before U.S. President Joe Biden addresses union workers at Sheet Metal Workers Local 19 on September 4, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. During his speech, President Biden talked about his record on job creation and support for labor unions. (Photo by Mark Makela/Getty Images)

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