Jimmy Dillon
Jimmy Dillon | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Pennsylvania Senate from the 5th district | |
| In office June 7, 2022 – November 30, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | John Sabatina |
| Succeeded by | Joe Picozzi |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 15, 1979 |
| Party | Democratic |
| Education | University of Notre Dame |
Jimmy Dillon (born January 15, 1979) is an American politician who was a Democratic member of the Senate of Pennsylvania. He was elected to represent the 5th senatorial district on May 17, 2022, in a special election to replace incumbent Democrat John Sabatina.[1] He was formerly a School District of Philadelphia grant compliance monitor.[2]
Early life and education
[edit]Dillon was born on January 15, 1979, in Northeast Philadelphia.[3][4][5] He is a graduate of Holy Ghost Prep and the University of Notre Dame, where he played Division I basketball.[4]
Pennsylvania State Senate
[edit]In 2021, Democratic State Senator John Sabatina was elected as a judge on the Court of Common Pleas in Philadelphia and resigned his seat on December 31.[6] On January 10, 2022, Democrats selected Dillon's older brother Shawn as their nominee. Shawn later withdrew from the race after facing a legal challenge due to missing candidate filing paperwork and was replaced on the ballot by Dillon, a School District of Philadelphia grant compliance monitor.[2][7]
A special election was held on May 17; Dillon won with 54% of the vote.[8] He was sworn in on June 7, 2022.[9]
On September 24, 2024, Dillon was criticized[10] for multiple posts containing racist and homophobic slurs uploaded to the X account of his basketball coaching business, Hoops 24–7, several years ago.[11] The posts referred to a basketball player using a racial epithet and told a porn star to "come party with [them]."[10]
He was defeated by Republican Joe Picozzi in 2024.[12]
References
[edit]- ^ "Special election slated for Pennsylvania 5th Senate district". AP News. January 8, 2022. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
- ^ a b Brennan, Chris (April 4, 2022). "Northeast Philly ward leader drops out of special election for state Senate". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
- ^ "November 30, 2022". Senate Calendar. Pennsylvania General Assembly. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 4, 2022. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
- ^ a b Waring, Tom (May 15, 2022). "Candidates continue to stump as election day nears". Northeast Times. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
- ^ "Senator Jimmy Dillon". Pennsylvania General Assembly. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
- ^ Brennan, Chris (January 7, 2022). "Democrats in Northeast Philly face off for a special election, with more to come". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on January 7, 2022. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
- ^ Waring, Tom (January 11, 2022). "Dems pick ward leader Dillon for Senate special election". Northeast Times. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
- ^ "2022 Pennsylvania State Senate - District 5 Election Results". May 17, 2022. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
- ^ "Senator Jimmy Dillon Sworn in to Serve the 5th Senatorial District". Pennsylvania State Senate. June 7, 2022. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
- ^ a b "Pennsylvania State Senator denies posting racist comments online". ABC27. September 24, 2024. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
- ^ Chang • •, David (September 25, 2024). "Pa. Democratic Sen. Jimmy Dillon denies writing racist, homophobic tweets". NBC10 Philadelphia. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
- ^ McGoldrick, Gillian; Orso, Anna (November 7, 2024). "Republicans flip Northeast Philly state Senate seat, which Democrats called 'the most embarrassing part' of the election results". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved November 8, 2024.