Succession plan: Sharif Street steps down as state Democratic chair to focus on congressional run

The race to succeed longtime Philadelphia Congressman Dwight Evans, who announced in June that he would not run for reelection in next year’s midterm election, already features several candidates who have thrown their hats in the ring to represent the 3rd House District. 

According to the Cook Political Report, the North and West Philadelphia district is the most partisan – regardless of party – in the nation. Coming in at +40 in favor of Democrats, the district performed about 40 points more Democratic in terms of two-party vote share than the nation did as a whole in 2020 and 2024.

With that in mind, there are plenty of progressives and party establishment Democrats looking to fill in deep blue seat. 

The first, and arguably the most well-known, name on the list of candidates is Sharif Street. 

The son of former Philadelphia Mayor John F. Street and the nephew of former State Sen. Milton Street, Sharif Street has been representing the 3rd state senatorial district since 2017. A North Philadelphia native, Street became the first Black man and Muslim to become the Pennsylvania Democratic Party Chair in 2022 when he succeeded Nancy Patton Mills, whom he served under as vice-chair for nearly four years. 

Street, 51, announced last week that he will step down from his position as chair to focus on his congressional run (the election to replace him at the top of the state party takes place on Saturday). He is one of at least seven candidates who have either announced or hinted at running, including state Reps. Chris Rabb and Morgan Cephas, physician Dave Oxman, Temple professor Karl Morris, former government employee Robin Toldens and data scientist and engineer Gabriel Caceres. 

In an interview with City & State, Street spoke about his plans as chair and as a potential member of Congress, as well as Dwight Evans’ legacy and his policy priorities going forward.

Evans, 71, has served West Philadelphia and parts of Center City and North Philadelphia in the U.S. House since 2016. Evans suffered a stroke last year that caused him to miss months of votes and that ultimately led to his retirement announcement.

Street called Evans a “monumental figure, both for the district, the City of Philadelphia, and really the entire Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”

“He wrote the book, ‘Making Ideas Matter,’ that is almost like a mandatory read for folks wanting to serve in public office,” Street told City & State. “If there were a Mount Rushmore of great Philadelphian elected officials,” he added, Evans would be on it.

Party power

Street told City & State in July, prior to his move to step down as state party chair, that there is precedent for a chair running a campaign and the state party at the same time. 

Pointing to former Congressman Bob Brady, who served as the Pennsylvania Democratic Party Chair while in office, as one of several examples, Street added that “whatever decision comes out of this, it’s going to be because I listen to people on the ground.”

“I talk to them, not only about what I should do, but what the direction of the party should be,” Street told City & State. “I owe it to those folks to have the conversation with them.”

When asked if Pennsylvania voters want to see something different from the Democratic Party, and if a former party chair is what’s needed at this time, Street said his accomplishments while chair – and Evans’ popularity – suggest otherwise. 

“(We) want to be cautious in how we frame this, because had Congressman Evans not had this health challenge, I think most people believe that he probably would have been pretty easily reelected,” Street said. “That being said, there were some concerns about (Democratic leadership) and about where the party is going nationally – and those are reflecting the election results at the federal level.”

Street noted Democrats’ ability to flip the state House and pick up a couple of state Senate seats as an indication that the party, at least under his guidance, was doing better than people believe. 

“The reality is that we bucked the national trends in Pennsylvania,” Street said, admitting that people still want to “hear people talking about their ideas.” 

“Last year, the Biden-Harris, and then the Harris-Walz (campaign), was talking about values, and values matter. But when people are hungry, they’re not focused on sort of big-picture values,” Street told City & State. “They wanted to hear: How do you reduce the price of goods? How do you keep communities safe? How do you deal with things that directly impact their lives?”

Street spoke of his anti-violence efforts in Philadelphia and his support of the state’s healthcare exchange, touting that Pennie enrollment “brought down the cost of health insurance for tons of people.” 

He argued those types of “innovative ideas” are what voters want to see from the party. 

“We’re talking with and working with people from a variety of backgrounds, advancing progressive ideas while at the same time trying to build real coalitions to get things passed,” Street said. “I think that's what people want to see.”

Policy push

Street said his track record in Harrisburg speaks for itself, but he told City & State the major policy priorities, in addition to the cost of living and healthcare, are the regulation of adult-use cannabis and firearms. 

“I would certainly believe that there should be a descheduling, at a minimum, at the federal level of rescheduling. It is crazy that a person (can) legally buy cannabis in New Jersey, but if you take that cannabis that you freely purchase in New Jersey and drive across the Ben Franklin Bridge to Pennsylvania, you committed a federal crime,” Street said. “Thirty-three states in the country have some form of cannabis legal basis … At a minimum we need rescheduling cannabis in a way that can (specify) transporting cannabis legally to a state versus transporting as a criminal act.”

And on the issue of gun violence, Street said high-powered firearms and the frequency of school shootings warrant the need for stronger gun control. 

“There are kids that will be hiding under desks … in all communities, those in urban, rural and suburban, there are active shooter drills. We keep watching these mass shootings on national television,” he said.

“Some local (entities) like the City of Philadelphia and the mayor’s office are doing the best they can, (but) it’s time for responsible gun laws across the United States.”

‘We once had a federal Assault Weapons Ban and we probably need a federal Assault Weapons Ban again,” he added. “There are too many people getting killed. One thing I will never forget, whether I’m a state senator or a member of Congress, is that we have to fight for people’s lives.”