Sen. Sharif Street to step down as Pa. Democratic Party chairman

by John Cole, Pennsylvania Capital-Star
August 25, 2025

State Sen. Sharif Street (D-Philadelphia), who is seeking his party’s nomination to run for Congress, announced Monday he will step down from his role as Pennsylvania Democratic Party chair.

“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.”

Street is one of several Democrats in the race to succeed U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans (D-Philadelphia), who declared he would be retiring at the end of his current term. Street announced his candidacy for the 3rd District seat in July along with state Rep. Chris Rabb (D-Philadelphia).

Since Street entered the race for Congress, DNC Chairman Ken Martin and Gov. Josh Shapiro questioned whether it was best for him to continue leading the state party while he is competing with other Democratic candidates in an 2026 open primary election.

Street, first elected to the state Senate in 2016, has held a leadership role with the state Democratic Party for the past seven years. In 2018, he was elected to serve as the vice chair of the state Democratic Party, as Nancy Patton Mills was elected to serve as Chair.

In 2022, Street made history by becoming the first Black man and Muslim to win the race for Pennsylvania Democratic Party Chairman. He defeated the state party’s Southeast Caucus Chair Jerry Lawrence for the position by a 174-138 vote, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Lawrence had the support of then-Attorney General Josh Shapiro, Gov. Tom Wolf, and U.S. Sen. Bob Casey.

Street’s tenure at the helm of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party featured two vastly different election cycles. In 2022, Shapiro cruised to a double digit victory over state Sen. Doug Mastriano (R-Franklin) to keep a Democrat in the governor’s mansion for a third consecutive term, while John Fetterman flipped a U.S. Senate seat blue with his win over Republican Mehmet Oz.

In 2024, Republicans had a clean sweep in Pennsylvania with Donald Trump securing the state’s 19 electoral votes, plus GOP candidates winning all three row offices and flipping a U.S. Senate seat red with Dave McCormick’s victory over three-term incumbent Bob Casey. Republicans also flipped two seats in the U.S. House that year, although Democrats maintained their one-seat majority in the state House.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Street plans to endorse former state Auditor General Eugene DePasquale to succeed him at the next state committee meeting Sept. 6 in Lancaster.

Since the current vice chair is a woman, the new chair must identify as a male in order to preserve the party’s commitment to gender-balanced leadership, according to a press release. The candidates for state party chair also have to be registered Democrats in Pennsylvania for at least two years prior to the date of the special election.

Pennsylvania Capital-Star is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Pennsylvania Capital-Star maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Tim Lambert for questions: info@penncapital-star.com.