Ben Waxman

Benjamin R. Waxman (born February 9, 1985) is an American journalist, progressive activist and politician. He is the Representative for District 182 of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Waxman previously served as an editorial writer for The Philadelphia Daily News and a reporter for WHYY-FM and as a political aide to State Senator Vincent Hughes and Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner.

Early life and education Waxman was raised in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Raised in an apolitical family, his father Michael is a realtor and his mother Barbara Buonocore worked as a nurse. Waxman's father owned a glass business in Germantown, Philadelphia, which closed, in part, after The Home Depot opened competing stores in the area. Additionally, Waxman served on the board of Pennsylvania Abolitionists United Against the Death Penalty. These experiences lead to him becoming a journalist after college. From 2008 to 2011, Waxman worked as an opinion columnist for The Philadelphia Daily News and as a reporter WHYY-FM. He focused on covering stories relating to city government and the flow of funds between state and local institutions. While with The Philadelphia Daily News, Waxman wrote multiple editorials in favor of marriage equality and the need for Pennsylvania to pass a non-discrimination law.

Press Secretary for Vincent Hughes In 2013, Waxman was named Press Secretary for Pennsylvania State Senator Vincent Hughes, who represents District 7 which includes Montgomery and Philadelphia Counties. Waxman's work for Hughes was mainly focused on the Appropriation's Committee. Waxman left this position in February 2017 to join Larry Krasner's campaign for Philadelphia District Attorney.

Communications Director for Larry Krasner Krasner was elected District Attorney of Philadelphia in 2017 and inaugurated in January 2018. As District Attorney, Krasner garnered national attention for his efforts to spearhead criminal justice reform. Waxman served as the Krasner's spokesperson and Director of Communications from January 2018 to May 2019 In this role, Waxman was often on the frontlines of pushing back against Krasner's critics, who believed Krasner's policies were responsible for violent crime and the rise in homicides in Philadelphia. He also advised on Krasner on sentencing reform.

Campaigns for State Representative 2016 In 2016, Waxman announced he would run for Pennsylvania State Representative in District 182 in a primary challenge against Democratic incumbent Brian Sims.

2022 Sims announced that he would not be running for re-election and instead would run for Lieutenant Governor. With the seat open, Waxman announced that he would once again run for state representative in the 182nd District. His campaign has been endorsed by Krasner, State Representative Morgan Cephas and Philadelphia City Councilmembers Maria Quiñones-Sánchez and Kenyatta Johnson. In a four way race, Waxman won the Democratic nomination, with 41% of the vote. a former Philadelphia city government official and was a director at the Pew Charitable Trusts.

At the age of 20, Waxman was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and following the 2019 El Paso shooting, Waxman disclosed his own illness publicly after then-President Donald Trump blamed mental illness for the mass shooting. Writing for PoliticsPA, Waxman said that such rhetoric leads those who can be assisted to "hide their illnesses and not seek the treatment they need."

Filmography + Television Year Title Role Notes 2021 Philly D.A. Himself 8-part TV Series