A Pennsylvania Democratic state senator has denied Republican claims that he made racist and homophobic remarks on social media over a decade ago, NBC News reported.
On Tuesday, Sept. 24, the Pennsylvania Senate Republican Campaign Committee (SRCC) accused Sen. Jimmy Dillon (D-PA) of posting offensive comments about Black, Asian, and LGBTQ communities on X, formerly known as Twitter, through an account associated with the basketball academy he runs, called Hoops 24-7.
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The SRCC pointed to five tweets from 2011 to 2015, which have since been deleted, but screenshots were provided. The Tweets used the N-word, gay as an insult, and used racist terms about Asian people.
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Cody Harbaugh, the SRCC’s Executive Director, stated, “The revelation of Jimmy Dillon’s past use of the n-word is unsettling… This was a grown man in his 30s casually using the n-word and making disgusting jokes repeatedly on his social media. We can only wonder what Jimmy Dillon is saying behind closed doors if this is the kind of language he’ll post publicly.”
Harbaugh also claimed Dillon made offensive comments about the LGBTQ and Asian communities.
Although it is still unclear who authored the five offensive tweets highlighted by the SRCC, the Hoops 24-7 account often shares posts from Dillon’s X account and includes several posts featuring photos of Dillon that seem to be written by him in the first person.
Dillon, is a native of Northeast Philadelphia, has represented the 5th senatorial district since winning a special election in May 2022, succeeding incumbent Democrat John Sabatina. He is now running for reelection and will compete against Republican candidate Joe Picozzi on Nov. 5.
He denied writing the tweets, saying, “As a coach, I work with kids to teach them how to play basketball and learn skills both on and off the court. I’m not a big social media guy. If a basketball player who works with Hoops 24-7 posted something like this more than a decade ago, it’s the first I’ve heard about it, and it doesn’t reflect my values.”
He also emphasized his commitment to opposing “MAGA extremists” and protecting women’s reproductive rights.”
Brittany Crampsie, a spokesperson for the Senate Democratic Campaign Committee, also defended Dillon, stating, “Senator Dillon’s record speaks for itself. At every opportunity, he has been a strong advocate and consistent vote in support of Black and LGBTQ Pennsylvanians. Distasteful tweets from more than a decade ago written by someone else don’t change that.”
A spokesperson for Dillon’s campaign said that the SRCC’s accusations were “typical, phony MAGA Republican distraction.”
“They’re digging up decades-old tweets written by someone else and waving them around like maniacs,” the spokesperson said. “Meanwhile, they’re hoping we’re too distracted to see that they’re simultaneously trying to strip away women’s reproductive rights, limit access to IVF treatments, and block sensible gun violence legislation. Sorry, but it’s not happening.”
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