Milton Street passes on congressional run

T. Milton Street Sr., the perennial candidate and former federal prison inmate, will not seek to become the Republican nominee for the Second Congressional District.

Instead, he will become campaign chairman for James Jones, who ran unopposed in the April Republican primary election.

Street and Jones flirted publicly in a Facebook post Sunday with the notion that Jones would withdraw and Street would seek to replace him.

That caused consternation among Republican officials, but also drew some media attention to an otherwise sleepy campaign by Jones.

Street and Jones, sitting at a folding table covered with an American flag in a North Philadelphia shopping center parking lot Tuesday morning, put the focus of the campaign on crime and violence, employment and poverty - with an unusual Republican nod toward the Black Lives Matter movement.

Jones, who says he has a black belt in martial arts, and Street said they would conduct interviews Tuesday for a pilot program to train people for 5,000 community activist jobs that will eventually pay $12 per hour.

Jones said he taught martial arts, to be used only "as needed," while in the military.

"And maybe that's probably what should happen with a lot of our police officers," Jones said. "They need to have those skills that they can withdraw. Even when you have a suspect subdued, there are times when you can withdraw. You don't have to shoot him every time."

Jones said his Facebook post with Street may have damaged his relationship with the local Republican Party. He said his approach to some issues may not fit with some GOP "policies and standards."

"I think the Republican Party has a long way to go to catch up to urban policies and urban goals," Jones said. "I'm a different kind of Republican."

Pressed for details, Street acknowledged that the hiring program has no funding. And he said the 28 months he served in federal prison for unpaid taxes on $3 million in income was a factor in his staying out of the race.

"I become the issue," Street said of his conviction. "The issue of crime is overlooked and Milton Street becomes the issue."

Street, a former state senator, ran in the 2011 Democratic primary election for mayor of Philadelphia while still on supervised release. He ran again for mayor last year.

On Monday, when the idea of Street's trying to replace Jones was still an option, Street said Jones' chances were damaged by his lack of "name recognition" in the district.

The Second District, which covers parts of Philadelphia and Montgomery County, is dominated by Democrats, who make up 81 percent of the registered voters. Republicans hold 8.5 percent while independents as smaller parties hold 10 percent.

The seat was held for 11 terms by former U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah, who resigned on June 23 after being convicted on federal corruption charges.

Street on Tuesday said voters should take seriously Jones' chances at defeating the Democratic nominee, State Rep. Dwight Evans, who defeated Fattah in the April primary.

"Don't fool your head," Street said. "Everybody said Donald Trump couldn't be the nominee for the Republican Party."

brennac@phillynews.com215-854-5973 @ByChrisBrennan