2026 Pennsylvania General Election 

Ben Waxman

Waxman was raised in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, and attended Springfield Township High School before graduating with a B.A. from Juniata College in 2007.

As a 15-year resident of Center City, Waxman has served on the boards of the Center City Residents Association, Pennsylvanians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, Jewish Labor Committee, and the 8th Ward Democratic Executive Committee.

Rep. Ben Waxman | Biography

Ben Waxman was raised in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. He attended Springfield Township High School and earned a bachelor's degree from Juniata College in 2007. He has been a resident of Center City for 15 years.

Rep. Ben Waxman - Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

Q5 Pennsylvania has proposed more reporting, utility oversight, and zoning guidance for large data centers, along with shifting some generation, capacity, and reliability costs onto data center developers rather than ordinary ratepayers. How should the costs and benefits of large data center development be divided between developers and the public, and what requirements, if any, would you support on power, water, and public reporting before a project moves forward?

Public subsidies should be limited and tied to clear job, environmental, and consumer protections.

Ben Waxman - Scientist Network for Advancing Policy

Supports limiting public subsidies and tying them to job, environmental, and consumer protections.

- Supports limiting public subsidies and tying them to job, environmental, and consumer protections.

Q2 Measles vaccination rates in Pennsylvania have declined in recent years, from 95.5% in 2020 to 92.5% in 2025. At the same time, measles outbreaks have emerged across the state, with 62 confirmed cases in PA in 2026. As a policymaker, how do you approach engaging with communities that have concerns that center on infectious disease outbreaks and vaccine safety, and what policies, if any, would you support related to these issues?

Public Health
I previous worked with a union representing healthcare workers who had similar concerns during COVID. The key is using trusted messengers to reach people where they are at to deal with concerns about vaccine safety. If you do that, you can address the concerns that people have.

Q3 There have been avian influenza outbreaks in Pennsylvania, with potential impacts on poultry and dairy operations, both industries that provide billions of dollars of economic value to the state. What policies, if any, do you support to strengthen the state’s preparedness and outbreak response? Are there specific strategies you would prioritize to protect farm workers, agricultural communities, and the broader public?

Agriculture
I support sustained funding for rapid testing, laboratory capacity, veterinary response teams, and close coordination between agriculture and public health agencies. We should also help farms strengthen biosecurity and compensate producers for outbreak-related losses so they can report infections immediately.

Q3 There have been avian influenza outbreaks in Pennsylvania, with potential impacts on poultry and dairy operations, both industries that provide billions of dollars of economic value to the state. What policies, if any, do you support to strengthen the state’s preparedness and outbreak response? Are there specific strategies you would prioritize to protect farm workers, agricultural communities, and the broader public?

Protecting workers must be central: free protective equipment and testing, multilingual health information, confidential symptom monitoring, and paid leave and medical care for anyone exposed or infected. Transparent public reporting and strong food-safety education will help protect agricultural communities and maintain public confidence.

Advocates using trusted messengers to address community concerns about vaccine safety.

Supports funding for testing, laboratory capacity, veterinary response teams, farm biosecurity, and producer compensation to prepare for avian influenza outbreaks.

Supports protective equipment, testing, multilingual information, confidential symptom monitoring, paid leave, and medical care for agricultural workers exposed to avian influenza.

- Advocates using trusted messengers to address community concerns about vaccine safety.
- Supports funding for testing, laboratory capacity, veterinary response teams, farm biosecurity, and producer compensation to prepare for avian influenza outbreaks.
- Supports protective equipment, testing, multilingual information, confidential symptom monitoring, paid leave, and medical care for agricultural workers exposed to avian influenza.

As a state representative, he helped secure $450,000 in state funding for Greenfield Elementary's playground and green-space project.

Q1 PFAS chemicals are widely used in consumer products but have raised health concerns due to their persistence in the environment and humans, and some Pennsylvanian legislators are considering restrictions on its use, such as in House Bill 2145. Should Pennsylvania restrict PFAS in consumer products? What scientific evidence would you use to inform your decision?

Public Health
I believe that we should restrict the use of PFAS chemicals and I am a co-sponsor of HB 2145. I rely on the analysis of trusted environmental groups like Penn Environment and Food and Water Watch to inform my decision.

Q4 Pennsylvania is the nation’s second-largest producer of natural gas and nuclear energy, as well as the third-largest producer of coal, per the Energy Information Administration. In contrast, PA currently ranks 45th in the country in terms of wind, solar, and hydropower energy production. How do you think these energy sources should be distributed across PA’s energy production portfolio, and what policies, if any, would you support to facilitate this?

Energy
Pennsylvania should rapidly expand wind, solar, energy storage, and efficiency while reducing its dependence on coal and natural gas. I support stronger renewable-energy standards, faster permitting for responsible clean-energy projects, investments in the electric grid, and transition assistance for workers and communities affected by fossil-fuel decline. Nuclear power can continue to provide carbon-free reliability as we build a cleaner, more affordable energy system.

Q5 Pennsylvania has proposed more reporting, utility oversight, and zoning guidance for large data centers, along with shifting some generation, capacity, and reliability costs onto data center developers rather than ordinary ratepayers. How should the costs and benefits of large data center development be divided between developers and the public, and what requirements, if any, would you support on power, water, and public reporting before a project moves forward?

Artificial Intelligence
Data center developers (not ordinary ratepayers) should pay the full costs of new power generation, transmission, water infrastructure, and grid upgrades required by their projects.

Q5 Pennsylvania has proposed more reporting, utility oversight, and zoning guidance for large data centers, along with shifting some generation, capacity, and reliability costs onto data center developers rather than ordinary ratepayers. How should the costs and benefits of large data center development be divided between developers and the public, and what requirements, if any, would you support on power, water, and public reporting before a project moves forward?

Before approval, developers should disclose projected energy and water use, demonstrate access to reliable clean power, meet strong efficiency and water-conservation standards, and provide enforceable community benefits.

Supports restricting per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in consumer products and co-sponsors House Bill (HB) 2145.

Supports expanding renewable energy, storage, efficiency, grid investment, and worker transition assistance while reducing reliance on coal and natural gas.

Supports requiring data center developers to pay the full infrastructure costs their projects require rather than shifting them to utility customers.

Supports requiring data center developers to disclose energy and water use, demonstrate reliable clean power, meet conservation standards, and provide enforceable community benefits before approval.

- Supports restricting per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in consumer products and co-sponsors House Bill (HB) 2145.
- Supports expanding renewable energy, storage, efficiency, grid investment, and worker transition assistance while reducing reliance on coal and natural gas.
- Supports requiring data center developers to pay the full infrastructure costs their projects require rather than shifting them to utility customers.
- Supports requiring data center developers to disclose energy and water use, demonstrate reliable clean power, meet conservation standards, and provide enforceable community benefits before approval.

As of October 16, 2026, Ben Waxman’s website did not contain information on this issue.

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“This funding is an investment in Greenfield Elementary students, the wider community, and in the resources our schools need to help every child learn and grow,” said Waxman. “I’m proud to have worked with my colleagues to help bring these dollars to Greenfield and see this investment finally become a reality.”

Greenfield’s school grounds offer the only large, centrally located play area in Philadelphia’s dense Center City neighborhood and provide green, open space for the surrounding community. After years of heavy use, the playground equipment and the surfaces of the open area had reached the end of their lifespan. Saval and Waxman worked closely with members of the Greenfield Home & School Association to secure a state grant of $450,000 to help resurface the play area, install new, inclusive play equipment, and beautify the space.

Senator Nikil Saval, Rep. Ben Waxman Join Greenfield Elementary School Community to Cut Ribbon for New Playground and Green Space

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