Benjamin Waxman

Waxman grew up outside of Philadelphia in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania and graduated from Springfield Township High School in 2003. As a teenager, Waxman was active in the post Post–September 11 anti-war movement as a leader in Unite for Peace, a Philadelphia pacifist group that marked the first anniversary of September 11. He served in high school as a board member and employee of Pennsylvania Abolitionists United Against the Death Penalty, the commonwealth's leading anti-death penalty group.[1] He completed his bachelors degree at Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania.

After graduating from Juniata College, Waxman worked as a reporter for the Philadelphia Daily News and WHYY-FM[2] covering city government and politics with a focus on the flow of funds between state and local institutions.[3]

In 2013, he was named press secretary for Pennsylvania State Senator Vincent Hughes who represents District 7 which includes Montgomery County and Philadelphia County.[4] Waxman left his position with Senator Hughes in February 2017 to join Larry Krasner's campaign for District Attorney at a time when Krasner, a criminal defense attorney who had no prosecutorial experience, was seen as a long-shot candidate. Krasner won the 2017 primary, with 38 percent of the vote—nearly twice as many votes as the second-place candidate.[5]

In 2012, Brian Sims challenged and defeated incumbent Babette Josephs by 226 votes to represent the 182nd district which encompasses Center City and South Philadelphia. Josephs had served for 28-years in the position and was a senior leader in the General Assembly.[6]

Josephs unsuccessfully challenged Sims in the 2014 elections for the 182nd district.[7]

In 2016, Waxman ran against Sims to represent the 182nd district, advocating for increased resources for education[8] and winning the endorsement of the local Democratic activists and the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers. Sims narrowly defeated Waxman and was reelected.[9] Waxman considered challenging Sims again in 2018[10] but instead went to work for the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office of Philadelphia as Larry Krasner’s spokesperson.

Philadelphia District Attorney Krasner has garnered national attention and Waxman served as the District Attorney's first spokesperson and director of communications.[11]

Waxman has written in advocacy of Krasner’s policies and politics,[12] arguing on Krasner's behalf, "you can push for sweeping criminal-justice reform while also efficiently prosecuting serious violent crimes,”[13] and refuted sensationalized caricatures of the District Attorney.[14]

Waxman announced his departure as DA Krasner’s communications director in April 2019 to return to A. Waxman & Company, a consulting firm he founded in 2017.

Among his current clients are Philadelphia Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson for whom he is serving as a spokesperson[15] and AFSCME District 1199C, the union representing healthcare workers as well as employees at the Philadelphia Tribune newspaper.[16]

Waxman was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at age 20. Following the August 2019 El Paso shooting, Waxman disclosed his own illness publicly for the first time after President Donald Trump blamed mental illness for the mass shooting. Waxman wrote that such rhetoric leads those who can be assisted to "hide their illnesses and not seek the treatment they need."[17]

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Philadelphia in July 2020, Waxman and a partner opened Philadelphia's first Personal Protective Equipment retail store offering disposable masks and sanitizers as well as a series of PPE vending machines.[18]