Isabella Teti, Editor

After months of endless political ads, social media’s forced political content and election anxiety—everyone had some of it—the election has finally come to an end. While some of us are experiencing a mixture of feelings on the Presidential election results, in the Philadelphia region, many citizens have missed perhaps one of the biggest political upsets that happened in their own backyard.

Millennial born, but a new figurehead for young Gen Z adults is the 29-year-old State Senate-elect Joseph Picozzi. He describes himself on his campaign page as a Philadelphia native who is a “…son of a Philadelphia firefighter and a special educator…” and “a fourth and fifth generation son of Irish, Italian and Russian immigrants…,” whose familial legacy encouraged and inspired his interest in the government. Additionally, his biography explains that throughout his adolescence and young adult years he was appointed by Councilman Brian O’Neill to serve on the Philadelphia Youth Commission and earned the distinguished rank of Eagle Scout. His education includes graduating from Holy Ghost Prep and the prestigious Georgetown University. Moreover, he has “…worked for the U.S. House of Representatives and in public policy, where he focused on solutions to restore our cities.” Picozzi seemed to demonstrate the makings of a politician having both the education and experience to take on this daunting task, and the people in Northeast Philadelphia agreed.

The Republican candidate, according to an article for The Philadelphia Inquirer, ran an interesting campaign saying, “…Picozzi’s candidacy is unusual in that he does not come endorsed by the Republican Party of Philadelphia, stirring confusion among some GOP ward leaders who see the race as competitive.” The article explains further that Gianni Matteo, the spokesperson for Picozzi’s campaign said, “Often people think that Republicans are people arguing about culture war issues…constantly looking back in time…Part of Joe Picozzi’s run for state Senate is the fact that it’s this new, dynamic brand of conservatism that values urban areas. They’re foundries of the future.”

Joe Picozzi took full advantage of his underdog status, winning the district with a very slight lead over incumbent Senator Jimmy Dillon. This is explained in a subsequent Philadelphia Inquirer article that said, “Dillon was first elected in 2022 during a special election to fill the remainder of John Sabatina Jr.’s term, after he was elected as a judge.” Since 2001 the 5th district has been controlled by the Democratic Party and according to the Philadelphia City Commissioners website, reports show that Picozzi received the majority of 50.35% (50,534 votes) over his opponent Dillion receiving 49.52% (49,696 votes).

While a close race, Picozzi’s methods used are quite admirable, as they seem to retreat to “old school” practices. As stated on his campaign page, he planned a meet and greet event the past month where those who wanted to attend were able to “…hang out with Joe, learn about his campaign, share your ideas, and enjoy some dinner with members of the community.” It was small events such as these that allowed him to connect with the community in Philadelphia. 

Starting this campaign, Picozzi acknowledges he didn’t have much to begin his campaign, saying in a Q&A in a City & State article that, “When we started, we had absolutely no money. It was my Bitcoin bond, and from friends and family, small checks.” Further, he mentions he used what he could afford, basic clean up supplies, to host trash cleanups in the city. Yet, perhaps the most impressive part of his campaign was his “face to face” campaign devolving a personal connection to each resident. Furthermore, the article explains that “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.” He combined the old and new-generation campaign techniques to create election results that will hopefully benefit Northeast Philadelphia.

While every election is important in our country, driving our citizens to uphold their civic duty, this Philadelphian election’s key takeaway is perhaps one that could influence any future leader in politics: a dream, vision, and hardwork can triumph over any odds presented.