Philadelphia’s House delegation in Harrisburg names Ben Waxman as its new chair

Philadelphia’s state House delegation in Harrisburg has a new face, as Democrats enter uncharted territory where they control the House, Senate and governorship for the first time in decades.

Rep. Ben Waxman (D., Philadelphia), who represents parts of Center City, was chosen to lead Philly’s 25-member House delegation. As the new chair, he is tasked with advocating for the city’s interests, from mass transit funding, to a minimum wage increase, to ambitious tax changes. He will replace Rep. Morgan Cephas, who was term-limited in the position.

Philadelphia Democrats are again well positioned to push policies that will impact the city with two of the top three Democrats coming from the city — and Gov. Josh Shapiro hailing from its suburbs.

House Speaker Joanna McClinton (D., Philadelphia) is expected to be reelected to the most powerful position in the state House in January for the new legislative session. Rep. Jordan Harris was also again chosen by House Democrats to lead the powerful appropriations committee, which almost every bill must pass through before becoming law.

Waxman, a former top aide to District Attorney Larry Krasner and State Sen. Vince Hughes, said he envisions his new job as a unifier among the lawmakers representing the state’s most populous city. Prior to his time as a spokesperson , Waxman was a journalist at the Philadelphia Daily News.

He described himself as a “Philadelphia nationalist” who plans to bring that view to his new position in Harrisburg, in an effort to “prioritize the whole city,” he said. Philly’s state lawmakers are highly motivated to increase Pennsylvania’s minimum wage to $15 an hour — a long-time Democratic priority and one that Shapiro promised will be the first bill to reach his desk next year.

With newly consolidated power, Waxman said he is excited that Democrats should be able to deliver a new revenue stream to support statewide mass transit, including for SEPTA, which is the state’s largest transit agency and serves the Philadelphia area.

Waxman said the delegation will focus on anti-poverty policies, such as housing affordability, education funding, workforce development, public safety, and more. Philadelphia recently returned to the top spot as the poorest big city in America, with 20.4% of Philadelphians living in poverty last year, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

“It’s a moment of possibility for Philadelphia,” Waxman said. “My goal is to make sure that we stick together,” he added.

Cephas said she was proud to pass the reins to Waxman, who she said in a statement has been a “fierce advocate for mass transit, resources for our unhoused neighbors, while simultaneously securing significant investments for the cultural institutions in Philadelphia.”

“While we represent different neighborhoods, our responsibility extends beyond our individual districts to fighting for our city as a whole,” Cephas added.

Rep. Anthony Bellmon will serve as the Philadelphia Delegation’s vice-chair, followed by Reps. Roni Green and Darisha Parker as treasurer and secretary, respectively.

Waxman said he hopes to continue and build on the work done by Cephas, including multilevel collaboration with Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker and other top city officials.

Parker is scheduled to host the Philadelphia Delegation for one of her private intergovernmental roundtables on Monday. She could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday.

The Philadelphia Delegation is the state’s second-largest delegation, followed by the Southeast Delegation, which is composed of members from the collar counties.

The Southeast Delegation is set to have 39 members, including five new members after Democrats ousted several of the remaining Republicans in Philadelphia’s suburbs. Regional delegations often serve as a way for members to join together to push for specific policies affecting their constituents.

Lawmakers in Harrisburg are set to finalize their leadership teams for the 2027-28 legislative session next week, with Senate Democrats on Thursday naming longtime Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa (D., Allegheny) as the president pro tempore in the Senate and Sen. Maria Collett (D., Montgomery) as the next majority leader.