Jimmy Dillon (born January 15, 1979) is an American politician who is 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]

Jimmy Dillon
Member of the Pennsylvania Senate
from the 5th district
In office
June 7, 2022 – November 30, 2024
Preceded byJohn Sabatina
Succeeded byJoe Picozzi (elect)
Personal details
Born (1979-01-15) January 15, 1979 (age 45)
Northeast Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Residence(s)Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
EducationUniversity of Notre Dame

Early life and education

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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

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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

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  1. ^ "Special election slated for Pennsylvania 5th Senate district". AP News. January 8, 2022. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ "November 30, 2022". Senate Calendar. Pennsylvania General Assembly. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 4, 2022. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  4. ^ a b Waring, Tom (May 15, 2022). "Candidates continue to stump as election day nears". Northeast Times. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  5. ^ "Senator Jimmy Dillon". Pennsylvania General Assembly. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  6. ^ Brennan, Chris (2022-01-07). "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 2022-01-07.
  7. ^ Waring, Tom (2022-01-11). "Dems pick ward leader Dillon for Senate special election". Northeast Times. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
  8. ^ "2022 Pennsylvania State Senate - District 5 Election Results". May 17, 2022. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  9. ^ "Senator Jimmy Dillon Sworn in to Serve the 5th Senatorial District". Pennsylvania State Senate. June 7, 2022. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
  10. ^ a b "Pennsylvania State Senator denies posting racist comments online". ABC27. 2024-09-24. Retrieved 2024-10-14.
  11. ^ Chang • •, David (2024-09-25). "Pa. Democratic Sen. Jimmy Dillon denies writing racist, homophobic tweets". NBC10 Philadelphia. Retrieved 2024-10-14.
  12. ^ McGoldrick, Gillian; Orso, Anna (November 7, 2024). "Republicans flip Northeast Philly state Senate seat, which Dems called 'the most embarrassing part' of the election results". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
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