A proposed Pennsylvania congressional map that supposedly leaked, on Thursday (December 9), reveals a draft of a map that is a joint effort between Democratic State Senator Sharif Street and Senate State Government Committee Chairperson Sen. Dave Argall, R-Schuylkill. The map shows a new version of Philadelphia’s 2nd Congressional, without any current members of the U.S. House residing in it.
Brendan Boyle currently represents CD-2, but if the Street-Argall map was adopted, he would no longer live in the Second District.
By sheer coincidence, Sharif Street does live in the newly proposed Second District, and would be considered to be the most likely candidate to win the Democratic nomination for U.S. Congress in that district in next May’s primary election (it’s an overwhelmingly Democratic district, so winning the primary would virtually guarantee a win in the general election as well).
Today, The Inquirer Reported that – A campaign spokesperson for U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle, the incumbent Philadelphia Democrat whose reelection bid would be complicated by the map, accused Street of “conspiring with Republicans to push a gerrymandered Republican map for personal political gain.” And U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean, whose Montgomery County-based seat is seen as safe for Democrats, urged Gov. Tom Wolf to veto “the reported gerrymandered Congressional maps” if they reach his desk.
Rep Boyle spox on a map backed by fellow Dem and poss. primary rival Sharif Street:
— Jonathan Tamari (@JonathanTamari) December 9, 2021
“When Dems are fighting to defend the very foundation of our democracy, the last thing we need is a Dem conspiring with Rs to push a gerrymandered Republican map for personal political gain” pic.twitter.com/ACnYlyvvIX