The win represented a major blow to leaders of Philadelphia’s Democratic Party, who largely rallied around the other candidates and have clashed with Rabb for years. And it was something of a turnaround for Rabb, whose campaign nearly ran out of money after he said his former treasurer embezzled more than $160,000 in contributions.

“There was a moment a couple of months ago, not long ago, that I was on the precipice of withdrawing from this race,” Rabb said Tuesday night. “And there were people who showed up for me at my worst, in depths of adversity.”

Rabb, 56, focused his campaign on railing against establishment and “status quo” politicians, though all of the major candidates vying for the 3rd District seat supported progressive policies like Medicare for All and abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

His frequent criticism of Israel became a particular flashpoint as he called on his opponents to refer to the war in Gaza as a genocide, which they declined to do. The rift symbolized a larger national debate as the party wrestles with how far it should go in criticizing Israel and its allies like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a pro-Israel organization.