State Sen. Sharif Street has pulled ahead in the money race among the candidates running to succeed U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans in Philadelphia’s 3rd Congressional District seat.
Street, the son of former mayor John Street and a state senator since 2017, raised about $701,000 last year and had $527,000 cash on hand as of Dec. 31, according to a report filed with the Federal Election Commission.
Those results show that people in the district are “uniting” behind Street, according to his campaign. The district covers West Philadelphia, parts of North Philadelphia, and much of Center City.
“Our strong track record of progressive leadership — from lowering healthcare costs to leading the fight to legalize recreational cannabis and reform our justice system — is resonating in every corner of the district,” campaign manager Josh Uretsky said.
As Street and other candidates work to raise money and boost their profiles ahead of the May 19 primary, the field continues to expand. Thirteen people are now seeking the seat, according to the FEC.
The newest entrants are NaDerah Griffin, who previously ran for state representative and an At-Large City Council seat, and Sheila Armstrong, a past City Council candidate who is the only Republican candidate in the race.
Armstrong is a former Democrat who has led the local chapter of Moms for Liberty, a conservative group known for supporting school book bans in Bucks County and elsewhere.
Oxman and Stanford pony up
Bunched behind Street in the fundraising race are two physicians and first-time political candidates who loaned substantial sums to their campaigns.
Jefferson Health intensive-care physician David Oxman, who has made healthcare reform central to his campaign, said his contributions came solely from individual donors. He has raised $498,000, including $100,000 he loaned his campaign, and had $366,000 cash on hand.
“You cannot fight for the health of the people of the 3rd District while you are taking money from nursing home companies and health insurance PACs. The corporatization of medicine is just a piece of a larger corporatization of American life that is hollowing out our economy as well as our democracy,” he said.
Dr. Ala Stanford, a Penn professor and founder of the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium, was recruited by Evans and launched her campaign in October. She has brought in $467,000, including $250,000 she loaned her campaign, and had $392,000 in the bank.
“The outpouring of support we’ve received shows that people across this city are ready for a new generation of leadership in Congress — one that will stand up for Philadelphia, protect our communities, and push back against the dangerous policies of Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans,” she said.
Two other state legislators are in the race. Rep. Chris Rabb, an outspoken progressive from Northwest Philadelphia, raised $384,000 and spent much of it, leaving him with $98,721. West Philly Rep. Morgan Cephas raised $241,000 and had $109,000 in the bank.
The other candidates who reported donations are Pablo McConnie-Saad, a former Biden administration official, who received $119,000; Temple University professor Karl Morris, $50,000; and Jahmiel Jackson, a West Philly native and recent University of Chicago graduate, $15,000.
Candidates Armstrong, Griffin, former city employee Robin Toldens, software engineer Cole Carter and Empowered CDC director Isaiah Martin did not report any donations or campaign spending in 2025.
Video gambling companies contribute
Street’s campaign coffers have swelled with maximum contributions from a number of donors. The contribution limit for individual donors is $3,500 per election, or $7,000 per cycle because the primary and general elections are counted separately.
Political action committees, or PACs, may contribute $5,000 to a candidate per election, or $10,000 per cycle.
Those who gave Street’s campaign $7,000 include two donors associated with the video gambling machine industry: Pace-O-Matic founder Michael Pace of Tennessee and Republic Amusements executive Roger Sperlbaum of Colorado. The companies have been intensively lobbying in Pennsylvania as lawmakers consider taxing the devices to help fix the state’s structural budget deficit.
Two other Pace-O-Matic staffers, Stacey Pace and Michael Barley, were also among Street’s big donors, along with philanthropists Chase and Catherine Lenfest, attorney Matt Haverstick and his wife Amanda, and Harrisburg politician and philanthropist Peggy Grove.
Others who gave Street at least $3,500 included Parkway Corp. CEO Joseph Zuritsky, former governor Ed Rendell, attorney Stephen Sheller and his wife Sandy, developer Mark Nicoletti, former mayoral candidate Tom Knox, grocery magnate and former mayoral candidate Jeff Brown and his wife Sandra, and attorneys George Bochetto and Eli Klehr.
Stanford’s top donors include the PAC for Select Medical Corp., a Mechanicsburg firm that owns rehab hospitals and physical therapy clinics, as well as Congressman Evans, Jefferson Health surgeon Alliric Willis, Nobel Prize-winning Penn researcher Drew Weissman and his family members, Stanford’s literary agent Jennifer Weis, former mayor Michael Nutter, attorney Leslie Anne Miller, and Penn pediatrician Paul Offit.
Oxman reported donations of $3,500 or more from a range of individuals, including family members, friends and fellow healthcare providers from Philadelphia and the region.
The candidates spent on campaign software, campaign and fundraising consultants, event catering, fees to the Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue, and other expenses. None of them have yet aired television commercials, which can consume the largest portion of congressional race spending.
