Pennsylvania U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans suffers ‘minor’ stroke

Pennsylvania U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans (D-3rd District) said he suffered a “minor” stroke, but expects to be back in Washington, D.C. within six weeks. 

Evans, 70, said in a statement Thursday that he did not realize what had happened for a few days, but received the stroke diagnosis this week. “The main impact seems to be some difficulty with one leg, which will probably impact my walking for some time, but not my long-term ability to serve the people of Philadelphia,” the statement reads. 

He is recovering at an inpatient rehabilitation facility, according to the statement, and expects to be there for another week. He asked for privacy as he recuperates. 

“In the coming months, I want to help educate people and remove the stigma that sometimes accompanies strokes – many people can recover and continue on with their life and their work,” Evans said in the statement. 

Evans was first elected to the U.S. House in 2016, when the area he represents was still considered part of PA-02. Before he was elected to Congress, Evans represented Philadelphia in the Pennsylvania House for four decades. He won the Democratic primary in PA-03 in April on his way to a fifth term in office. He does not have a Republican opponent in November. 

In 2022, Evans secured 75% of the vote in a three-candidate primary before winning 95% of the vote in the general election over a candidate from the Socialist Workers Party in the reliably Democratic district.