Sharif Street

Sharif Street (born March 29, 1974) is an American politician and attorney. He is a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania State Senate who has represented the 3rd district since 2017. Street served as vice-chair of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party from 2018 to 2022, and party chair from 2022 to 2025.

Early life and education Born and raised in North Philadelphia, Street is the son of former Philadelphia mayor John F. Street, and the nephew of former state senator Milton Street. His mother Helen Street was a teacher at Sheridan Elementary in Kensington. Street graduated from Central High School, where he was the student body president He attended Morehouse College, serving as president of the student senate. During law school, he was the president of the Penn Law Democrats. During the 2000 presidential election, Street was a Pennsylvania state co-chair of GoreNet. GoreNet was a group that supported the Al Gore campaign with a focus on grassroots and online organizing, as well as hosting small-dollar donor events. In 2004, Street was elected as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention committed to John Kerry for President.

Career

Pennsylvania State Senate Street was elected to the State Senate in 2016, becoming the first Muslim elected to the body.

In 2021, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Street was working for months with Republicans on a redistricting plan that would boost his own prospective congressional campaign. A spokesperson for U.S. representative Brendan Boyle alleged that Street was "conspiring with Republicans to push a gerrymandered Republican map for personal political gain." U.S. representative Madeleine Dean urged Governor Tom Wolf to veto "the reported gerrymandered congressional maps." J.J. Balaban, a Philadelphia-based Democratic consultant who worked on U.S. House races said "ny Democratic elected official should be embarrassed to support a map as bad for Democrats as that map is." The map, which did not pass, would have created an incumbent-free district in Philadelphia where Street could have run.

In September 2023, Street voted against Senate Bill 773 in committee, which would allow all of the state’s medical marijuana growers and processors to sell their products directly to patients. The bill passed. However, Street voted affirmatively when the bill made it in the full chamber.

Committee assignments For the 2025–2026 session, Street sits on the following committees: Banking & Insurance (Minority Chair) Agriculture & Rural Affairs Appropriations Health & Human Services Urban Affairs & Housing

Pennsylvania Democratic Party In 2022, Street was elected Chair of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party after serving as vice-chair to Chairwoman Nancy Patton Mills of Allegheny County. Governor Josh Shapiro did not support Street's candidacy for the role, and said publicly that an elected official like Street should not run the party because they could blur the lines between what is best for the organization and their personal ambition.

During his tenure from 2022 to 2025, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Democratic voter registration in the state "dropped precipitously, fundraising stagnated, and Pennsylvania Democrats had a disastrous 2024 that saw all five of the party's statewide nominees lose." On August 25, Street announced he would step down from the chairmanship to focus on his congressional campaign. He ended his campaign in January 2022.

2026 congressional election

In 2025, Street entered the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania's 3rd congressional district to succeed Congressman Dwight Evans after he announced his retirement. Street received the support of Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker and New Jersey Senator Cory Booker.

Street's campaigned on his experience at the state level increasing investment in Philadelphia, expanding healthcare access, and criminal justice reform. He has been critical of Benjamin Netanyahu's government in Israel, but asserts his belief in a two-state solution, and does not describe the Gaza genocide as a "genocide".

Street was defeated in the Democratic primary, finishing in second to state representative Chris Rabb, a democratic socialist considered to be running to Street's left.