Candidate questionnaire: Sharif Street

The final week of the primary election season is upon us. In Philadelphia's 3rd congressional district, Democrats are vying for the chance to succeed Dwight Evans and represent a deep-blue seat in Congress.  

City & State shared questionnaires with each of the leading candidates to get a final in-depth look at the players in the PA-3 Democratic primary and where they stand on specific issues, from housing to healthcare and more. 

Second in the series: State Sen. Sharif Street, a political mainstay in the city and a presumed frontrunner since the beginning of the race. 

Ala Stanford’s questionnaire responses can be found here. 

Some responses have been edited for length and clarity.

Here’s what Street had to say about: 

Housing policy

As an attorney in private practice, I helped secure funding for thousands of affordable units. And in the state legislature, I championed additional funding for affordable housing. While in Congress, I will fight to increase funding for the Philadelphia Housing Authority and other housing providers, particularly through the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program – the nation’s most successful low-income housing program. Many of these programs receive bipartisan support, and I would be proud to work across the aisle to help deliver additional resources to provide quality, affordable housing for working families across Philadelphia.

Healthcare policy

First, I would work to reverse the funding cuts to Pennie, Pennsylvania’s Obamacare exchange. Healthcare is a human right and all Americans should have access to affordable healthcare. The increased cost of healthcare is a significant driver of our affordability crisis as well as disparate health outcomes across race and income. That is why my team authored Pennie, which lowered the cost of health insurance for all Pennsylvanians.

I support universal healthcare. As we plan for the future of healthcare, I will work to protect the jobs in Philadelphia that support the administration of healthcare programs.

Public transit funding

Philadelphia is a transit city, and we need to build on that strength. I will fight to protect and expand funding for SEPTA, including projects that improve frequency and reliability, and ensure that federal programs continue to support major local priorities like the Chinatown Stitch. Environmental sustainability must also remain a core part of how we invest in transportation.

Campaign donors and corporate interests

Voters should look at my record. Throughout my career, I have fought for their needs – for healthcare, for jobs, for gun violence prevention. My largest source of financial support comes from unions; I am proud of their support in this campaign and proud of the work I have done for working men and women in this city, which has earned me that support.

Meeting the needs of a diverse district

I take the needs of each individual and each community seriously. We all want to be safe, to have a good job and to be able to afford to take care of our families. When I got $300 million a year to prevent gun violence, homicide rates went down and it made all of us safer. Pennie lowered costs for everyone across the commonwealth. When we bring good jobs to the district, like those at the Philadelphia Navy Yard and provide job training, such as at the Philadelphia Technician Training Institute, which I have helped fund, the regional economy benefits. While the details of what each of us needs might differ, I work to address those needs in ways that make all of us better off.

An underdiscussed issue

Issues of gun violence and drug addiction impact the lives of too many Philadelphians and their families. All of the irresponsible acts of the Trump administration distract us from the very real harm that is done by not investing in our communities to break the cycle of poverty and the very real harm that come with it.

We need to stop spending our money on overseas adventures and disrupting hard-working members of communities. We need to leverage some of the money accumulated by the ultra-wealthy and invest it in lifting up our people.

Bringing experience to Washington

My constituents need me to bring back real resources and pass meaningful legislation for them. To do that requires that I be willing to lead where appropriate, but also to take a back seat when that is most likely to get them what they need. I know that to be an effective member of Congress, I will need the humility to play a supporting role, particularly when I first arrive, but also the courage to lead when that is needed.

Combatting D.C. power dynamics

The Trump administration’s efforts in Washington, D.C., have been illegal, unconstitutional and unconscionable. The most effective thing that Democrats can do to combat his shortsighted, immoral actions is to win majorities in Congress. After the primary, I intend to focus my efforts on supporting my future colleagues in the Philadelphia region. That is the work I did as Chair of the Democratic Party and I will continue to do that as a Democratic nominee and as a Congressman.

Once we are there, we will need to take a firm line against Trump. We will have to use our oversight powers to create accountability for him and his administration. If necessary, I will take them to court. I have sued Trump dozens of times to protect the rights of Pennsylvanians and won every time.

If Democrats take control of Congress

We must enact a new War Powers Act that restricts Trump’s ability to take us to reckless, illegal undeclared wars. We must abolish ICE; they have used the increase in funding to recruit thousands of agents from the Proud Boys and white supremacist organizations, thus creating a toxic culture that cannot be permitted within our government.

We need to investigate ICE and the Department of Defense to understand what crimes have been committed against our own people and in the theater of war. The people who committed those crimes need to be held accountable, with a focus on those giving any illegal orders.

Pitching voters who say they want something different from the Democratic Party

I became a leader within the party by fighting and winning against the establishment. I was the first Black Chair and Vice Chair of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party because I built a diverse coalition of urban and rural Democrats who knew that I would listen to them and represent their concerns. That is the type of leadership that Philadelphians need representing them in Congress.

The Democratic Party becoming bolder

Actions speak louder than words. Democrats have to take back one or more chambers of Congress to push back against Trump in D.C effectively. In cities and states across the country, Democratic officials have stood up to Trump and limited their cooperation. We have sued the administration and blocked or rolled back illegal and wrong executive orders, including the President’s House here in Philadelphia. When we take Congress, we will take bold action there, too.