The 29-year-old could become Philadelphia’s only Republican state senator

In the Northeast Philadelphia Senate district, where Democrats have held power since the turn of the millennium, Republicans believe the 29-year-old — who is not backed by the city GOP — has a chance to influence the race.

The 5th District of Pennsylvania Senate seat is held by Democratic State Sen. Jimmy Dillon, a former Notre Dame point guard who runs basketball academies in the city. As a political novice, Dillon, 45, won the 2022 special election to fill the remaining term of former Sen. John Sabatina Jr. after his departure to the Common Court.

Dillon is running against Joe Picozzi, a Georgetown University graduate who previously worked on Capitol Hill as a staffer for former House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (D-Calif.).

Registered Democrats in Philadelphia outnumber Republicans 7-1, and few suggest Dillon doesn’t have a clear path to victory, even in the redder Northeast. There are more than 81,000 registered Democrats in the 5th District, compared with almost 45,000 Republicans and just over 19,000 unaffiliated voters.

Still, GOP county leaders say Picozzi – a moderate TikTok user and crime-fighting bent – is playing an impressive game on the ground, receiving financial support from state Republicans for take control of the up for grabs and maintain control of the Senate.

Democrats also recognize the 5th District’s potential for change, especially in a contentious election year in which the presidential race will drive voters to the polls.

“Northeast Philadelphia, as in Bucks Countythis is the epicenter where the battle is being fought,” said Brian Eddis, Democratic leader of the 63rd District, located in the 5th District.

“People may be registered Democrats, they may be registered Republicans, but they really vote based on the individual issues that they tend to support,” Eddis said.

If Picozzi wins, he will become the only Republican state senator within Philadelphia’s borders.

But Picozzi’s candidacy is unusual in that he is not gaining support from the Republican Party in Philadelphia, causing confusion among some GOP county leaders who see the race as competitive.

“When GOP voters go to vote in November, (Donald) Trump will be ahead on the ballot … and when we get to the Senate race, it will be empty,” said one GOP district leader, who asked not to be identified for fear of retaliation, he stated in reference to the visibility of the party’s support. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Vince Fenerty, chairman of the Philadelphia GOP committee, did not respond to a request for comment.

Picozzi’s name does not appear on the city committee’s website, but other candidates are endorsed, such as state Rep. Martina White, also from the Northeast.

Harrisburg Republicans, for their part, have not been shy in their support for Picozzi.

“As Joe Picozzi entered the race earlier this year, he has made it a priority to talk to voters about their concerns,” said Michael Straw, communications director for the Pennsylvania Senate Republican Campaign Committee, which is overseen by Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward. the House’s leading conservative.

“…Northeast Philadelphia is fed up with the status quo. They want someone who will focus on their problems, such as out-of-control inflation and rising crime,” Straw said. “That’s why Joe continued to gain momentum.”

For Picozzi’s side, campaign spokesman Gianni Matteo said he could not comment on why the city committee dropped its endorsement.

Matteo, however, called the state GOP’s support a “great opportunity” for the party to endorse a “new type of Republican.”

“Often people think that Republicans are people arguing about culture war issues… constantly looking back in time,” Matteo said. “Part of Joe Picozzi’s run for state Senate is that this is a new, dynamic brand of conservatism that values urban areas. These are the foundries of the future.”

There was plenty of mud-slinging during the race.

Last month, Dillon came under fire ten-year-old social media posts have resurfaced with racist and homophobic language. Dillon had access to an account dedicated to his Hoops 24-7 Basketball Academy and sometimes posted in the first person on the site.

However, the Democratic team suggested that it was the coaching staff who posted the comments, not Dillon, with Dillon stating that the posts “do not reflect my values.”

Meanwhile, Picozzi faced questions about his previous leadership position at Georgetown’s Delta Phi Epsilon Foreign Service fraternity, a nonprofit whose longtime officer Terrence Boyle was sued by the D.C. attorney general for using charitable funds for personal gain in the 1990s.

In Picozzi campaign mailers reviewed by The Inquirer, bullet points stated that Picozzi did not become fraternity president until two years after the lawsuit was filed, and that the misconduct mentioned in the lawsuit occurred decades before he arrived on campus.

Many Democrats in the district, including 57th District Leader Patrick Parkinson, aren’t convinced Dillon’s position is in jeopardy.

“I think if they think that if Trump is at the top of the field, they have a chance,” Parkinson said of the GOP candidates. “But when you look at the party in Northeast Philadelphia, we are more united than ever.”

Dillon has the support of several labor unions – the dominant political forces in the Northeast – including chapters of the AFL-CIO, AFSCME and SEIU, as well as Planned Parenthood of Pennsylvania.

“I think they’re wasting money,” Parkinson said of state Republicans’ spending on Picozzi. “Which is good because it takes away from other areas of the state where they could win.”