Milton Street has once again found his way into Philadelphia’spolitical fray.
The serial candidate announced Monday that he’s entering the race for Pennsylvania’s 2nd Congressional District, taking on Democratic nominee Dwight Evans and Republican candidate James Jones.
Street, brother of former Philadelphia Mayor John F. Street, told the Philadelphia Inquirer he plans to run as an independent, and will make a formal announcement in two weeks.
The hotly contested seat is currently held by U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah, who is on trialover allegations of misusing hundreds of thousands of campaign, charity and federal grant dollars.
RELATED:Dwight Evans trounces Chaka Fattah, Brian Sims in 2nd District race poll
Evans defeated Fattah for the Democratic nomination in April, ending the incumbent’s 11-term reign over a district that includes Montgomery and Philadelphia counties. Democrats hold an 81-percent majority among registered voters in the 2nd District, essentially securing Evans’ win in November.
But in his Facebook post, Street said he wants to “challenge” Evans, 62.
“I don’t have anything against Dwight Evans,” Street, 77, said in an interview with the Inquirer. “My issue is, he should have to work for the seat between now and November. I’m going to make him work.”
Evans has held an elected position for more than 35 years, since being elected state representative from the 203rd Legislative District in 1980 when he was 26 years old.
RELATED:Prosecutor calls Chaka Fattah a thief as racketeering trial gets underway
But Street’s daughter, Renee Street Toppin, might feel differently about Evans than her father does.
In a YouTube video uploaded in April, Toppin blasts the candidate for “tearing down” Fattah.
“Why on Earth is Dwight Evans running against Chaka Fattah?” she asks. “There is nothing Dwight Evans can do as a freshman congressman to achieve as much as Chaka Fattah has achieved in 22 years.”
Meanwhile, Street is no stranger to the Philadelphia political scene.
His career began in 1978 when he was elected to the state House, and to the state Senate in 1980 as a Democrat. Shortly after winning, Street switched parties to give Republicans control of the chamber. In return, Street was given a committee chairmanship and Vince Fumo’s former office. Street tried for re-election to the Senate as a Democrat in 1984 and lost. He ran again in 1986 and 1988 for state representative and lost, again.
He launched three unsuccessful mayoral bids: 2007, 2011 and 2015. Street’s 2007 campaign was marred by allegations of corruption and tax evasion. A year later, he was sentenced to 30 months in prison for failure to pay income tax on more than $2 million in earnings. And when Street lost the nomination to Michael Nutter, who served as mayor until 2015, Street called him “Watermelon Man” repeatedly. In 2015, Street lost the nomination to now-Mayor Jim Kenney, getting less than 5 percent of the vote.
