Rep. Kevin Boyle seeks reelection after outburst — and faces primary challenge from Sean Dougherty, Johnny Doc’s nephew

It looks as if there will be a competitive Democratic primary in a Northeast Philadelphia state House district this spring— and the incumbent might not have the support of the party.

State Rep. Kevin Boyle, who has represented the 172nd House District since 2011, filed paperwork to run for reelection Tuesday, days after House leaders Friday said he was “seeking help” following an outburst at a Montgomery County bar.

Boyle’s altercation led Democrats — who hold a one-seat majority in the state House — to scramble to find another candidate ahead of Tuesday’s deadline to file petitions to get on the ballot.

Sean Dougherty, from the politically powerful Dougherty family, emerged over the weekend as a potential alternative candidate to help Democrats maintain control of that district. Dougherty, 30, is former labor leader John “Johnny Doc” Dougherty’s nephew and State Supreme Court Justice Kevin Dougherty’s son. He worked as a lawyer for the Defender Association of Philadelphia until he resigned Monday to run for the House.

The House Democratic Campaign Committee hosted a petition-signing event for Dougherty over the weekend, and Dougherty filed his petitions to enter the race on Tuesday. He did not respond to a request for comment.

Boyle, 44, appeared in Harrisburg on Tuesday to file more than 800 nominating signatures to appear on the April primary ballot. The Northeast Philly Democrat has been open about his mental health struggles in recent years, but his latest drunken tirade — during which he allegedly threatened to hit female employees and “end this bar” at Gaul & Co. Malt House last week in Rockledge — led Democratic leaders to seek out another candidate in Dougherty.

House Majority Leader Matt Bradford (D., Montgomery) called the video of the outburst “very troubling” Friday and said Boyle was “seeking help.” While House Democratic leaders have not indicated who they’ll support in the primary, Bradford released another statement Sunday that said “we continue to encourage our colleague and dear friend to seek help.”

It’s unclear what help, if any, Boyle received and he could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

In recent months, Boyle has been noticeably absent from public appearances. He hasn’t tweeted from his official account since September. He also missed several session days at the end of 2023, including three of nine session days in October and all three session days in November, according to attendance documents obtained through an open records request for attendance from January through November 2023.

The younger brother to U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle, Kevin Boyle famously flipped the seat from Republican control at age 30 by beating Republican State Rep. John Perzel, a former House speaker who was involved in a corruption scandal at the time.

Dougherty, for his part, was mentioned several times during his uncle’s second federal trial last year, at which John Dougherty was convicted of more than 60 counts, including conspiracy, embezzlement, and more.

According to prosecutors, Sean Dougherty was one of several of Johnny Doc’s nieces and nephews who benefited from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 98. Prosecutors said the young Dougherty received union pay for weeks he spent down the Shore while he was a student at Chestnut Hill College.

Two Republican candidates — Aizaz Gill and Patrick Gushue — have also filed petitions to appear on the April 23 primary ballot, according to the Department of State. The Northeast Philly district is what GOP members consider one of Philadelphia’s few attainable House seats, with about 59% of the district’s registered as Democrats, 28% registered as Republicans and 13% who are independent.

Staff writer Julia Terruso contributed to this article.