Philadelphia State Senator Sharif Street has served as the Chairman of the PA Dems since 2022, and was Vice-Chair for four years before that. He recently announced his candidacy for Congress in PA-3, and today he stepped down as party chair.

He wrote the membership:

Dear Member of State Committee:

Today, I’m announcing that I will step down as Chair of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, effective upon the election of my successor at our next State Committee meeting on September 6, 2025.

This was not an easy decision—but it is the right one. I took on this role to build a Democratic Party that was more inclusive, more united, and more powerful. Over the past few years, I’m proud to say we’ve done exactly that—bringing more voices into the party, building stronger coalitions, and delivering historic victories across the state. Now, as I focus on my campaign for Congress, I believe it’s time to make space for the next chapter of leadership—so our party can continue to grow, win our crucial judicial elections this fall, and then turn toward reelecting our Governor and Lieutenant Governor, flipping congressional seats to take back control of Congress, and defeating Donald Trump and the MAGA agenda once and for all.

I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved together. When I was elected to the State Senate in 2016, the outlook for Democrats in Pennsylvania was grim. Donald Trump carried the state, Republicans held commanding majorities in both chambers of the state legislature, and Democrats were vastly outnumbered in our congressional delegation. That year, I was the only non-incumbent Democrat to win a seat in the State Senate—joining a caucus that had just been reduced to only 16 members, the smallest Senate Democratic caucus of my lifetime. It was clear that if we wanted a different future, we had to organize for it.

That’s why I ran for a leadership role in the Democratic Party in 2018—because I believed we had the power to rebuild, and I knew we couldn’t afford to wait.

During my four years as Vice Chair, we began to turn the tide. In 2018, we flipped key congressional seats and secured a Democratic majority in the U.S. House from Pennsylvania for the first time in years. Then in 2020, after days of national uncertainty, Pennsylvania delivered the decisive votes that sent Joe Biden to the White House—defeating Donald Trump at the ballot box and shifting the direction of the country. I was proud to be an active Vice Chair during that fight, helping to organize and energize our diverse Democratic coalition when the stakes were at their highest

When I became Chair in 2022, we carried that momentum forward and turned it into sustained, historic wins. We helped Josh Shapiro secure a groundbreaking victory—becoming the first Democratic Governor in Pennsylvania history to succeed another Democrat. We flipped a U.S. Senate seat, reclaimed the State House for the first time in over a decade, and made hard-fought gains in the State Senate. In 2023, we swept all four statewide judicial elections—securing our Democratic supermajority on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

2024 was a difficult year for Democrats across the country. Donald Trump carried every major battleground state, and Republicans made gains at the federal level—including here in Pennsylvania. But even as we faced those national setbacks, Pennsylvania Democrats built a firewall in state and local races—defending our one-seat majority in the State House and maintaining our position in the State Senate. Thanks to our investment in local leaders and message-driven organizing, we ended the year with no net losses in the General Assembly and a party infrastructure that proved its staying power.

The next year made clear that our local strength remained intact. In 2025, we flipped a deep-red State Senate seat in Lancaster County during a special election—bringing us to just two seats shy of a majority, the closest Democrats have been to flipping the chamber in a generation. It puts us in our strongest position yet heading into next year.

These victories were no accident. They were built from the ground up—by county chairs, committee members, organizers, and everyday Democrats who gave their time, energy, and heart to this party. My job was to elevate their work—and I was honored to do it.

I want to thank Governor Josh Shapiro for his leadership and his commitment to growing a strong, unified Democratic Party in Pennsylvania. Under his leadership, our party has continued to build momentum and deliver results for working families across the Commonwealth. I’m proud of what we’ve achieved alongside his administration, and I look forward to working with him to keep moving Pennsylvania forward.

When I first campaigned for Chair, I promised to build bridges—bringing together Black voters who felt taken for granted, rural voters who felt overlooked, and progressives who felt shut out. As the first Black man and the first Muslim ever elected Chair of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, I knew representation wasn’t just symbolic—it was strategic. We built real power by forging a coalition that could win. And going forward, I remain committed to strengthening those voices—alongside labor, young people, and all those fighting to build a more just, inclusive, and energized Democratic Party.

To every Democrat who stood with me—thank you. We’ve made progress that will last far beyond my tenure. And while I may be stepping down as Chair, I’m not stepping away from this work. I’m running for Congress to keep fighting for the people of Pennsylvania—and I’ll keep fighting with you, every step of the way.

Let’s finish the job.

Senator Sharif Street

Chair, Pennsylvania Democratic Party

I’m not going to endorse someone in PA-3 today, but I will say that I always found Senator Street agreeable to work with when I was running statewide Judicial candidates. This was a job he really wanted and I know he’s not giving it up lightly, but he’s on to bigger things, I suppose.