PHILADELPHIA – Pennsylvania’s Democratic state senator has denied Republican allegations that he made racist and homophobic remarks about black, Asian and LGBTQ people on social media more than a decade ago.
On Tuesday, September 24 Pennsylvania Senate Republican Campaign Committee issued a statement accusing Sen. Jimmy Dillon (D-Philadelphia) Writing a series of offensive posts on Twitter – now known as X – under Score for the Hoops 24-7Dillon’s year-round basketball academy.
All five tweets posted in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2015 have been deleted. However, SRCC provided screenshots of the tweets.
“The revelation that Jimmy Dillon has used the ‘n’ word in the past is disturbing. To be clear, this was not a teenager making a mistake or a comment taken out of context. It was a mature man in his 30s. We can only wonder what Jimmy Dillon is saying behind closed doors if this is language he would publish publicly for the world to see,” said PA SRCC Executive Director Cody Harbaugh.
“And it’s not just African-Americans who have been subjected to his abusive slurs and remarks. Dillon made disparaging comments about the LGBT and Asian communities.”
In response to SRCC’s allegations, Dillon denied writing the offensive tweets.
“As a coach, I work with kids to teach them how to play basketball and learn skills both on and off the court,” he said. “I’m not a big social media person. If a basketball player with Hoops 24-7 posted something like this over a decade ago, this is the first I’ve heard of it and it doesn’t reflect my values. My focus has been and will continue to be on opposing MAGA extremists and protecting women’s reproductive rights. Nothing changes that.”
Dillon, 45, is from Northeast Philadelphia, who currently represents the 5th senatorial district after winning a special election in May 2022 to replace incumbent Democrat John Sabatina. Dillon is currently seeking re-election and will face the Republican nominee Joe Picozzi on November 5.
“Based on his past actions, the residents of Northeast Philadelphia have good reason to question Jimmy Dillon’s ability to be an impartial legislator who represents ALL the people of the Northeast,” Harbaugh said. “His behavior is disqualifying, period. “We call on Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa and the Senate Democratic Campaign Committee to quickly condemn Jimmy Dillon and his use of vile language.”
While it’s unclear who wrote the five offensive tweets highlighted by SRCC, the Hoops 24-7 account frequently shares posts from Dillon’s X account and features multiple posts showing photos of Dillon that appear to be written in the first person.
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Dillon’s campaign spokesman also dismissed SRCC’s accusations as “typical, bogus MAGA Republican distraction.”
“They’re taking decades-old tweets that someone else wrote and waving them around like a bunch of maniacs. At the same time, they’re hoping we’re too stupid to notice that they’re trying to take away women’s reproductive rights, block access to IVF treatments, and block gun violence laws. Sorry weirdos. This is not happening,” the spokesperson wrote.
Brittany Crampsie, spokeswoman Senate Democratic Campaign CommitteeHe also denied the claims.
“Senator Dillon’s record speaks for itself,” he said. “At every opportunity, he has been a strong advocate and consistent voice in support of Black and LGBTQ Pennsylvanians. Throughout his career, he has trained and educated young people from all walks of life. A nasty tweet written by someone else over a decade ago doesn’t change that.”