With state Rep. Chris Rabb’s victory in the Democratic congressional primary on May 19, he’s likely passing the torch to newcomer Chris Johnson in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

Johnson won the primary election for Rabb’s soon-to-be former seat in the state House, representing Mt. Airy, parts of Chestnut Hill, West Oak Lane, and Blue Bell Hill. With no challengers currently for the general election, Johnson and Rabb are expected to win in November.

“I don’t see any pressure,” Johnson said about the likelihood of taking Rabb’s current seat. “... We have to approach this in a collaborative manner. It certainly will help to have a congressional partner in Washington, helping to steer down federal investments to our district.

“We have a lot of work to do to invest in our public infrastructure, to invest in our public schools, to invest in our parks and recreation and public spaces, and also move the needle forward on policies that are going to improve the lives of our neighbors across Northwest Philadelphia,” added Johnson, who is director of state and federal government relations for the School District of Philadelphia. “… Whether it’s around housing or healthcare access or job growth and job creation, I’m excited to work with... Rabb to bring those dollars back home to our district.”

In the meantime, Rabb will serve the remainder of the year for his district, with the state House back in session on June 1. He told the Local he was “committed to helping people, even if people have different ways of making that happen. I’ve been able to find common ground that transcends political ideology, and I believe that Chris Johnson will be able to do that. He’s an earnest and dedicated young man with a great future.”

Ahead of the primary election, only the 1st, 2nd, 24th, and 39A Democratic wards endorsed Rabb, a fraction of those he won in the primary.

Much of the Philadelphia Democratic establishment, including Mayor Cherelle Parker and a majority of city’s political wards supported state Sen. Sharif Street, in contrast to the actual turnout for Rabb.

“If there’s any indication that ward politics is dead, it would be this race,” Rabb said. “I won five times as many wards as I was endorsed by. If ward endorsements mattered, I would have lost. If the endorsements of the political class of the city and entrenched power mattered, I would have lost, but I won by 15 points. If money were the most important thing from political insiders, I would have lost, but there’s no substitute for grassroots mobilizing and old school community organizing.”

“The Democratic Party’s most important job of turning out Democratic voters, they’re an abject failure at it, and that has a lot to do with not just the longstanding tenure of Bob Brady, but the structure of the party itself,” he continued. “We need systemic change, and this is an opportunity for committee people who have just been elected or re-elected.”

Nevertheless, Rabb says he wants to focus now on working together, not on who supported whom in the primary.

“I’ve never been endorsed by my own party in a contested race, and I still work with them … At the end of the day, I’m a public servant, and when the campaign is over, we’ve got to refocus on what it means to govern and to do what’s best for the people we’re supposed to serve,” Rabb said. “I think anyone who shares my view that public service should transcend politics will come to the table. I was pleased to get a call from Senator Street and from Shaun Griffith, two of my three opponents, who called to concede and congratulate me, and that’s what we need. We need to say, ‘Okay, the election’s over now.’ It’s about coming together, finding common grounds, and doing the work.”

Rabb received several endorsements from progressives both locally, from groups like Reclaim Philadelphia and Councilmembers Kendra Brooks and Nicolas O’Rourke, and nationally from politicians like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rep. Ilhan Omar. Others who endorsed him included Representatives Summer Lee, Rashida Tlaib, Pramila Jayapal, Ro Khanna, Jamie Raskin, Maxwell Frost, and Jared Huffman.

Rabb says he will learn from them; they’ve said “that they will do all they can to make sure that I have the insights and resources and opportunities and networks to be the best member of Congress I can be for the 3rd Congressional District.”

If elected, he vowed to serve “with integrity and authenticity and humility and find ways to engage people in common cause across the political spectrum. I think that’s how I was able to get five bills enacted into law in my first six years in the minority, and it’s why I have people who voted for me who don’t necessarily embrace all of my politics and know that I’m a public servant.”

In Northwest Philadelphia, Rabb won nearly all of the wards in the primary, securing a little over 44% of the vote in the primary. That included a little over 66% of the vote in the 9th ward, representing Chestnut Hill and parts of Mt. Airy, and 64% of the 22nd ward, representing Mt. Airy. In the 59th and 12th wards, which mostly represent Germantown, Rabb won about 44% and 35% of the vote, respectively.

Rabb said he saw the support in his home district as an “affirmation of the 10 years of service in Northwest serving in the legislature and as a committee person for 18 years and a ward leader and as an active community member.”

Johnson’s work ahead

Receiving endorsements from Rabb, Parker, and several other Democrats, Johnson said he also has people he can turn to for advice if elected in November. He said that now, he has to start building a team and potential staff.

“I want to make sure that we assemble a team that is focused and driven, and going to be responsive to the needs of our constituents,” Johnson said. “I know this as a former district office director; I understand how important that is, and I am going to be diligent in finding talented, driven, smart, hardworking individuals to serve our neighbors. I’ll also be leaning on many advisors and community leaders, some other elected officials, just to get some wisdom and guidance on how to be effective in the months and years to come. I’m reminded of a proverb: Speaking is silver, then listening is gold. And so I’ll be doing a lot of listening and observing and learning over the course of the next few weeks.”

Johnson said he’ll also continue meeting community members and neighborhood groups ahead of the general election.

If elected, Johnson said he’s excited to meet his colleagues in Harrisburg and looks forward to “really delivering on some of the issues that our communities are facing.”

Tommy Tucker can be reached at Tommy@chestnuthilllocal.com.