Representative Ben Waxman Contact information

Benjamin R. Waxman, born on February 9, 1985, is an American journalist, progressive activist, and politician. He is currently serving as the Representative for District 182 of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

Raised in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Waxman’s 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. This incident shaped Waxman’s political outlook.

Waxman became involved with activism at a young age. As a high schooler, he served as a leader of Unite for Peace, an anti-war organization in Philadelphia that was created following the September 11th attacks. Additionally, Waxman served on the board of Pennsylvania Abolitionists United Against the Death Penalty. He graduated from Springfield Township High School in 2003. He received a college scholarship from the American Civil Liberties Union for his work in opposition to the death penalty. Waxman attended Juniata College and graduated in 2007.

As a college student, Waxman wrote left-leaning opinion pieces for The Huntingdon Daily News and served as a Field Reporter for Generation Progress. 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.

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. While working for Hughes, Waxman also served as Press Secretary for the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Caucus. Waxman left this position in February 2017 to join Larry Krasner’s campaign for Philadelphia District Attorney.

Waxman was elected to represent Pennsylvania’s 182nd Legislative District in Center City Philadelphia on November 8, 2022. Waxman is a journalist, organizer, and community advocate who has consistently led the way on issues that matter most to all Pennsylvanians. He and his wife, Julie Wertheimer, are members of Beth Zion-Beth Israel synagogue in Center City.