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Sharif Street won’t challenge fellow Philly Democrat Brendan Boyle for Congress

The decision caps a year of flirtations with higher office by Street, son of former Mayor John Street and vice chair of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party.

Pennsylvania State Sen. Sharif Street (D., Philadelphia).
Pennsylvania State Sen. Sharif Street (D., Philadelphia).Read moreTIM TAI / Staff Photographer

Pennsylvania’s new congressional map is out and State Sen. Sharif Street, after mulling the new district lines for half-a-day, has decided against a primary challenge to U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle, a fellow Philly Democrat.

Street was telling supporters Thursday morning about his decision, according to a source close to the senator, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to comment publicly.

That caps a year of flirtations with higher office by Street, son of former Mayor John Street and vice chair of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party. He started exploring a run for U.S. Senate last April before saying in January that he’d take a pass.

Plenty of political insiders wondered then if Street was building a federal fund-raising account to challenge Boyle as the district lines were being drawn.

» READ MORE: Is the new Pa. congressional map better for Democrats or Republicans? We tested it.

Street, as Democratic chair of the Senate State Government Committee, negotiated for months with Republicans about a potential compromise congressional map that may have created boundaries favorable for a challenge. That map was not formally introduced.

Boyle’s district was largely unchanged in the new map. He finished 2021 with almost $2.2 million in his campaign account, while Street had just $114,000 in the bank.

Boyle, who in December tested his strength in his Northeast Philly-based district against Street in a poll, announced his bid for a fifth term on Thursday. Street, now in his second term, is up for reelection in 2024.

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