Joe Picozzi
Pennsylvania politician (b. 1995)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Joseph S. Picozzi (born April 22, 1995) is an American politician from the Somerton neighborhood of Philadelphia currently serving as a Pennsylvania State Senator from District 5.[1] A member of the Republican Party, he was elected to represent District 5 of the Pennsylvania State Senate in the 2024 US elections,[2][3][4] defeating Democratic incumbent Jimmy Dillon who was elected in a 2022 special election to replace John Sabatina, who resigned to serve on a Court of Common Pleas.[3][5] Both candidates ran unopposed in their respective party primaries.[6][7]
Joe Picozzi | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2025 | |
| Member of the Pennsylvania State Senate from the 5th district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Jimmy Dillon |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 21, 1995 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Education | Georgetown University |
Picozzi's parents are a retired deputy fire chief and the former director of rehabilitation at the now-closed Hahnemann Hospital.[8] He graduated from Holy Ghost Preparatory School.[9] Picozzi studied government at Georgetown University.[10][1] He has worked as a senior advisor in strategic planning at the Manhattan Institute and an assistant to US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.[1] He is an Eagle Scout.[1] Picozzi now lives in Tacony.[11]
In 2017, Picozzi was a finalist for that year's "30 under 30" list produced by Red Alert Politics, due in part to his campaigning in the 2016 US elections.[8] The Erie Times-News reported early in the campaign that although District 5 is heavily Democratic, Republican strategists saw the seat as a "potential pick-up".[5] By flipping District 5, Picozzi is the first Republican to represent Philadelphia in the State Senate in over two decades.[2][12]
Picozzi co-chairs the Pennsylvania chapter of Future Caucus for Gen Z and millennial legislators dedicated to cross-partisan lawmaking.[13]
For the 2025-2026 Session, Picozzi sits on the following committees in the State Senate:[14]
- Urban Affairs & Housing (Chair)
- Law & Justice (Vice Chair)
- Appropriations
- Communications & Technology
- Game & Fisheries
- Intergovernmental Operations
- Labor & Industry
Electoral history
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Joe Picozzi | 6,818 | 99.6 | |
| Republican | Other/write-in votes | 25 | 0.4 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Joe Picozzi | 50,570 | 50.3 | |
| Democratic | Jimmy Dillon (incumbent) | 49,735 | 49.5 | |
| Other | Other/write-in votes | 134 | 0.1 | |