Chris Rabb, who won the Democratic primary in an overwhelmingly blue Philadelphia congressional district, said CEOs are ‘far more devastating’ than the Crips and Bloods
Chris Rabb, a Pennsylvania House candidate backed by the “Squad” and other far-left figures, once called for the death penalty for corporate CEOs, whom he likened to “gang leaders.” His words mirror increasingly violent rhetoric from the left directed at business leaders.
In a 2005 blog post, Rabb said executives “should fry,” citing a report that 300 CEOs were paid salaries and bonuses totaling $12 billion.
“The gangs some of the above culprits lead are far more devastating to a much broader and larger group of Americans than the Crips or Bloods ever will be. So, they’ve got [sic] be taken down on behalf of hard-working, tax-paying American families,” wrote Rabb, a socialist running for the open House seat in Pennsylvania’s Third Congressional District, one of the most Democratic districts in the country.
“I’ve changed my previous stance in opposition to the death penalty and now think that it should be administered more frequently and swiftly than ever,” added Rabb, the founder of the activist website Afro-Netizen.
Rabb—who defeated the establishment candidate, the son of ex-mayor of Philadelphia John Street, in the Democratic primary—has emerged as a darling of the far left thanks to his radical political positions, which include support for reparations, abolishing ICE, and “national grocery stores.” The five-term state legislator has accused Israel of “genocide” in Gaza and supports the “Palestinian right of return,” a policy that would let Gazans take Israeli land and effectively end the Jewish state. And Rabb recently called to “free” Mumia Abu-Jamal, a black nationalist who murdered Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner in 1981, the Washington Free Beacon reported. If elected in November, Rabb’s district will encompass the street corner where Abu-Jamal killed Faulkner.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) and fellow “Squad” members Summer Lee (D., Pa.), Rashida Tlaib (D., Mich.), and Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.) endorsed Rabb, as have Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D., Md.) and 2028 presidential hopeful Rep. Ro Khanna (D., Calif.). And Rabb has campaigned with Hasan Piker, the extremist social media influencer who has praised Hezbollah and said that “America deserved 9/11.”
Rabb defended his campaign appearance with Piker, saying that “I’m going to find common cause with Hasan Piker.”
One of those points of commonality appears to be disdain for corporate executives.
Piker recently said Brian Thompson, the UnitedHealthcare CEO who was allegedly murdered by Luigi Mangione, was guilty of “social murder,” a Marxist concept that blames capitalists for social ills that befall the working class. Piker—who is from a wealthy Turkish family and is believed to make millions of dollars a year from his influencer business—reportedly purchased a $2.7 million home in Beverly Hills in 2020. He has said he is “pro stealing from big corporations” because companies “steal quite a bit more from their own workers.”
Piker’s remarks about social murder, in particular, have taken fire on the left. Three women with official press passes to cover a legal hearing for Mangione, who has been charged with Thompson’s death, stood outside the courthouse last week and told reporters that Thompson had killed more Americans than Osama bin Laden, deserved to die, and that his children would be better off without him.
Despite his rhetoric, Rabb has relied heavily on a small group of executives to fuel his House campaign. American Priorities, an anti-Israel super PAC, spent $400,000 on advertisements supporting Rabb, according to campaign disclosures. The group received $1 million from Showcase Commerce CEO Mohammad Waqas and $1 million from Silicon Valley executive Omer Hasan. Hussein Mahrouq, a Texas-based car dealer, gave $400,000 to the group. In 2011, then-Texas attorney general Greg Abbott charged Mahrouq’s companies with falsifying emissions test records for used cars he sold at his dealerships.
Rabb’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.