A Q&A with Philadelphia state Senator-Elect Joe Picozzi

Riding 2024's red wave into the state Senate, 29-year-old Joe Picozzi stunned the political establishment by improbably flipping a Northeast Philadelphia district –  and becoming the first Republican in decades to represent his hometown in that chamber. Moreover, Picozzi squeaked through with 50.4% of the vote – defeating the Democratic incumbent, Jimmy Dillon – without the backing of the Philadelphia GOP (Picozzi did, however, benefit from at least $750,000 in funding from the Senate Republican Campaign Committee). 

The son of a firefighter and a special-education professional, Picozzi has a degree from Georgetown University – but he learned the political ropes at home in Northeast Philly, cultivating the grassroots relationships that helped him build a highly effective campaign. He claims to have knocked on 70,000 doors and, famously, exploited the social media that is his generation’s modus operandi, from TikTok to Instagram. 

Two weeks after his win, City & State spoke to Picozzi about what got him started, how he pulled off his victory and his plans – both in the Senate and, more ambitiously, for a new generation of political leadership.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

On Election Night, you surprised a lot of people by pulling ahead in a tight race. Was your win a surprise to you?

I went in pretty confident. On Election Day … you show up at one voting location and another, and so many people are excited to see you. They’re saying, “We’re counting on you. I voted for you. Don’t let us down.” That was really moving. It was a neighborhood election – when I look at the results, it’s like, wow, the people of Mayfair, Winchester Park, and Academy Gardens really put their faith in me. 

As a candidate, the buck stops here, right? You saw how many idealistic young people believed in me and worked their tails off for this. And ultimately, if we had lost, it would be my responsibility: “I wasn’t able to get it done for you.” But thank the Lord, we don't have to worry about that.

We’ve heard a lot about your door-knocking. But you’re also known for your social media savvy. How did you use social media in your campaign?

I love social media; I believe it’s going to really change politics. The critical mass of pretty much all of our young people was either word of mouth – I recruited them at their door – or they saw our social media and wanted to get involved. And seeing all these young people excited, it excites more young people. I’m trying to grow it, capitalize on the momentum. 

Social media also allows you to go hyper-local: I would talk on social media about what’s going on on this block, right here in Tacony. It allows you to go right to the people – directly onto their phones, into their homes. Direct messages are another piece: People would say, “Hey, come to this or that.” That’s how I picked up a lot of our core team. 

Grassroots politics is accessibility: If you get in touch with me, I will get back to you. I'm committed to being an accessible leader.

I think of FDR with the fireside chats – about TV, and how that reshaped politics. We’re just in the early stages of how the digital age is going to change American politics. It has the potential to be an incredibly beautiful thing, where there’s this authentic connection between elected leaders and the people they serve.

What first got you interested in politics?

I have an uncle who was a committeeman from Port Richmond and is now a ward leader; my grandfather is a committeeman, and I believe my great-grandfather as well. But we weren’t an established political family; nobody’s ever run for elected office before. 

Going to City Hall was one of my first memories; my grandfather took me there when I was about 3 or 4 years old. It’s just this beautiful building in the Second French Imperial style – it really makes an impression.

I’ve always been drawn to politics, government and history – I got captivated by it in middle school. Politics gives you the opportunity to do something very real with your life, something very meaningful. It’s inspiring to have the opportunity to take all of these things I’ve learned throughout my life and actually put them into practice. 

Did you always know that you were going to run for office? 

It’s always been a dream of mine. And just seeing how much the Northeast had changed since when I left for college – those neighborhoods were super nice and super safe, and seeing how dramatically things changed, I felt this deep sense of urgency to do something. 

When I made the decision to run, I said to myself, “When I’m 40 or 50, I don’t want to look back and say, ‘I had an opportunity to do something about this, and I chose not to – the odds were too long, or I was scared.’” You’re putting yourself out there in a big way. 

You were a Philadelphia youth district commissioner, then went to college in Washington, D.C. What were your formative political experiences? 

I was elected to the student body Senate when I got to Georgetown, but I was a one-termer. I was more interested in the real politics going on in Washington than in campus politics. 

At Georgetown, I connected with government Professor Jeff Burnham, who unfortunately passed away last August. For years after I graduated, we used to meet up at least once a month, and we were always reading a book together – Plato and Aristotle, the founding Federalists and the anti-Federalists – like a graduate-level political theory education. And Camus … it was really formative for me.

After graduating eighth grade, I interned for (then-) state Rep. Frank Farry. It’s cool to go from intern to colleague (Farry is a state senator now); he’s from my neighboring district. He’s a firefighter, and my dad was a firefighter, so we always had that connection, and I’ve worked on several of his campaigns. 

He showed me how to knock doors, and I knocked a lot of doors with him. For anyone who’s interested in getting into politics, that’s a great way, because politicians need people with them, and you get a lot of time with that person. You see how they handle different things. 

The first time I ever worked the polls was for Philadelphia City Councilmember Brian O’Neill in 2011. He appointed me youth commissioner, and his team spoke to the politics club I started at Holy Ghost Prep, which is still going to this day. Working on his campaign in 2023, I got to see how he approached things. His district is about two-thirds of my Senate district, so I would ask him for advice; he’s been a great friend and mentor.

What are your top priorities now that you're representing this district at the state level?

Public safety is No. 1. Public safety is the foundation of everything else I want to do in the Northeast.

When you look at education, business development, transportation … the public safety issue underlines all of those challenges. A brighter future for my home can’t happen unless it’s safe here. And on every block, we’re seeing violent crime: In the last seven or eight days, there have been two shootings. 

These things are being normalized, and they’re not normal at all. There’s been this acceptance that now, this is a dangerous place; you can’t let your kids play outside anymore. That is wrong, and I view this as a crisis that we need to get through. 

You’re the first Republican in years to win a state Senate seat from Philadelphia – and you did it without the backing of the city GOP. What is your relationship at this point with the party?

I’m really committed to party-building. This election proved that there’s a lot of room for the Republican Party to grow in Philadelphia, and I’m committed to seeing it done. I’m excited to work with anyone and everyone who’s on board with that vision.

How do you model youth leadership for the next generation?

When we started, we had absolutely no money. It was my Bitcoin bond, and from friends and family, small checks. So we said, “We can afford trash bags. We can afford gloves.” So we did trash cleanups after we finished knocking. If you have eight kids with you, it takes maybe 20 minutes. 

For these young people, this is what they see politics as – just helping your community. We were committed to campaigning the same way we want to lead: rolling up your sleeves and actually solving problems.

My hope is that this becomes a new kind of politics. And that these young people we brought in, as we're thinking about this brighter future for Northeast Philadelphia, they all become part of it. I'm hoping some of them are going to be elected someday … This whole idea of a brighter future for Northeast Philadelphia – it’s not one guy – it’s a whole new wave of energetic, civically engaged leaders.