Summary
- Sharif
Street to step down as Pennsylvania Democratic Party chair. - Decision
announced Monday amid his Congressional campaign launch. - Street
running to succeed retiring U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans. - Street
first Black man and Muslim to chair Pennsylvania Democrats.
A number of Democrats, including Street, are vying to
replace U.S. Representative Dwight Evans (D-Philadelphia), who announced he
would be retiring at the end of his current term. Together with state
representative Chris Rabb (D-Philadelphia), Street declared his intention to
run for the 3rd District seat in July.
“This was not an easy decision–but it is the right one,”
Street wrote in a post on social media.
“I took on this role to build a
Democratic Party that was more inclusive, more united, and more powerful.”
“Together, we’ve done exactly that — delivering historic
victories, strengthening our grassroots, and expanding our coalition across
Pennsylvania,”
he added.
“I’m proud of the progress we’ve made and confident
the party is strong, energized, and ready to meet the challenges ahead. Now
it’s time to make space for the next chapter of leadership so we can keep
building on that progress.”
Both Gov. Josh Shapiro and DNC Chairman Ken Martin
questioned whether Street should be the leader of the state party as he faces
off against other Democratic candidates in an open primary contest in 2026
after he entered the race for Congress.
After being elected to the state Senate for the first time
in 2016, Street had spent the last seven years in a leadership position within
the state Democratic Party.
Street became the first Muslim and Black man to win
the Pennsylvania Democratic Party chairmanship in 2022, making history in the
process. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, he won the job by a vote of
174-138 over Jerry Lawrence, the chair of the state party’s Southeast Caucus.
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, Gov. Tom Wolf, and then-Attorney General Josh Shapiro all
backed Lawrence.
During his time leading the Pennsylvania Democratic Party,
Street oversaw two radically different election cycles. In 2022, John Fetterman
defeated Republican Mehmet Oz to flip a U.S. Senate seat blue, while Shapiro
easily defeated state Sen. Doug Mastriano (R-Franklin) by a margin of double
digits to retain a Democrat in the governor’s house for a third straight term.
With Donald Trump winning Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes,
as well as GOP candidates taking both three-row seats and switching a U.S.
Senate seat red with Dave McCormick defeating incumbent Bob Casey, who had
served three terms, the Republicans scored a landslide triumph in Pennsylvania
in 2024. While Democrats kept their one-seat advantage in the state House,
Republicans also won two seats in the U.S. House that year.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, at the upcoming
state committee meeting in Lancaster on September 6, Street intends to support
former state Auditor General Eugene DePasquale as his successor.
According to a news statement, the party’s commitment to
gender-balanced leadership requires the next chair to identify as male because
the present vice chair is a woman. Additionally, candidates for state party
chair must have been Pennsylvania Democrats for at least two years before the
special election date.
How might his campaign for Evans’s seat change local
endorsements?
As the Pennsylvania Democratic Party chair stepping down to
run for Congress, Street brings established party leadership and organizational
support that could sway local Democratic officials and influential political
figures to endorse him.
His role as party chair and connections within
Pennsylvania’s Democratic establishment position him to consolidate key
endorsements from unions, local elected officials, and party activists who
trust his leadership.
However, his departure as chair may create openings for
rivals to secure endorsements from disaffected party members or factions
seeking change, potentially making endorsements more competitive.
