{"id":2559819,"date":"2026-01-31T15:07:02","date_gmt":"2026-01-31T20:07:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/who-are-the-democrats-running-to-challenge-fitzpatrick-in-pa-01\/"},"modified":"2026-01-31T15:10:48","modified_gmt":"2026-01-31T20:10:48","slug":"who-are-the-democrats-running-to-challenge-fitzpatrick-in-pa-01","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/who-are-the-democrats-running-to-challenge-fitzpatrick-in-pa-01\/","title":{"rendered":"Who are the Democrats running to challenge Fitzpatrick in PA-01?"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwho-are-the-democrats-running-to-challenge-fitzpatrick-in-pa-01%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2559819&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Five Democrats are competing to challenge four-term Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick in Pennsylvania\u2019s 1st District, a swing seat covering all of Bucks and parts of Montgomery County. Fitzpatrick, a moderate and co-chair of the Problem solvers caucus, has a long record of bipartisanship, has broken with his party on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-makes-first-endorsement-of-2022-election-cycle\/\" title=\"Biden Makes First Endorsement of 2022 ... Cycle\">high-profile votes<\/a> (including on the One Big, Stunning bill Act and a temporary extension of enhanced Obamacare subsidies), and enters the cycle with a large fundraising advantage\u2014about $7.36 million in cash on hand. The leading Democratic contender is Bucks County Commissioner Bob Harvie, who <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >emphasizes lowering living costs<\/a>, expanding affordable healthcare, housing, and protecting Social Security and Medicare; other primary candidates include attorney Tracy Hunt, former Senate scientific adviser Lucia simonelli, businessman Rob Strickler, and former private school CFO Thomas Taft. Democrats criticize Fitzpatrick for not doing enough on affordability and for ties to the trump governance, while Republican groups highlight his bipartisan record and defend his results for constituents. Candidates will file petitions Feb. 17\u2013March 10, the primary is May 19, and the general election is nov. 3; as of Dec. 2025, Sabato\u2019s Crystal Ball rated PA-01 as \u201cleans Republican.\u201d  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Who are the Democrats running to challenge Fitzpatrick in PA-01?<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2489553\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Five <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/democrats\">Democratic<\/a> candidates are facing off for the opportunity to unseat Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) from the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/Pennsylvania\/\">Pennsylvania<\/a> seat he has held for nearly a decade.<\/p>\n<p>Every year that Fitzpatrick has run for <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/congress\/\">Congress<\/a>, he has faced a primary challenge from a further-right GOP candidate.&nbsp;This year, he is running unchallenged on the Republican ticket for the first time, while the Democratic ticket in Pennsylvania&rsquo;s first district is fielding a crowded primary.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4441943\/texas-special-election-trump-endorse-leigh-wambsganss\/\">Texas special election: Trump endorses Leigh Wambsganss for state senate as Democrats set to fill House seat<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4440631\/winner-texas-special-election-face-primary-weeks-later\/\">Winner of Sylvester Turner&#8217;s Texas seat has just weeks before next election<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/premium\/4432869\/florida-19th-congressional-district-comeback-ex-lawmakers-other-states\/\">Florida MAGA bastion draws comeback from ex-lawmakers who once represented other states<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>The moderate, four-term congressman has proven himself a difficult candidate for Democrats to beat. The co-chair of the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/bipartisanship\/\">bipartisan<\/a> Problem Solvers Caucus, Fitzpatrick has voted as a Maverick among congressional Republicans as he answers to his bipartisan, swing district constituency.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4441860\/latest-epstein-trove-features-musk-lutnick-steve-tisch-correspondence\/\">LATEST EPSTEIN TROVE FEATURES MUSK, LUTNICK, AND STEVE TISCH CORRESPONDENCE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Despite sending the Republican to the House in every election since 2018, PA-01, which covers all of Bucks and parts of Montgomery County, voted for former Vice President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/Kamala-Harris\/\">Kamala Harris<\/a> in the 2024 presidential election and former President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/Joe-Biden\/\">Joe Biden<\/a> in 2020. The district&rsquo;s local political boards are also largely run by Democrats.<\/p>\n<p>Fitzpatrick <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3461887\/four-republicans-flip-big-beautiful-bill-house-vote\/\">voted against<\/a> the final passage of the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act, citing concerns over the Senate&rsquo;s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/fitzpatrick.house.gov\/2025\/7\/fitzpatrick-statement-on-senate-amendment-to-h-r-1\">medicaid amendments<\/a> as to why he flipped from <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3419268\/five-house-republicans-vote-no-one-big-beautiful-bill-passage\/\">his initial &ldquo;yes&rdquo;<\/a> vote. He voted with House Democrats and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4412144\/house-republicans-vote-enhanced-obamacare-subsidies\/\">17 other Republicans<\/a> for a three-year extension of enhanced Obamacare subsidies, while also <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/fitzpatrick.house.gov\/2026\/1\/fitzpatrick-suozzi-request-meeting-with-president-to-advance-bipartisan-immigration-and-border-security-solutions\">touting<\/a> President Donald Trump&rsquo;s work in securing the border.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>By breaking rank on two issues that have been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/beastmode-nikki-haley-to-vivek-every-time-i-hear-you-i-feel-a-little-bit-dumber\/\" title=\"Nikki Haley tells Vivek: &#039;You make me feel dumber.&#039;\">major talking points<\/a> for Democratic candidates in the lead-up to the 2026 <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/MIDTERM-ELECTIONS\/\">midterm elections<\/a> &mdash; the OBBBA and Obamacare subsidies &mdash; Fitzpatrick has given his Democratic opponents less to work with in terms of negative hits. The congressional Republican also has a drastic fundraising lead, with over $7.36 million in cash on hand, boasting over $6.95 million more than the next closest candidate, Democratic Bucks County Commissioner Bob Harvie.<\/p>\n<p>But Democrats continue to see PA-01 as a seat that could swing their way. Nearly half a dozen Democratic candidates are campaigning for the congressional seat, targeting Fitzpatrick&rsquo;s record as they vie to flip the district blue.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-bob-harvie-and-the-democrats-running-for-pa-01\">Bob Harvie and the Democrats running for PA-01<\/h2>\n<p>Harvie, vice chairman of the Bucks County Board of Commissioners, leads the pack of Democratic candidates as the significant favorite. Harvie started in local politics in the early 2000s, and has served as a county commissioner since 2020 as a Democratic leader within the district.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The Bucks County native boasts the name recognition and cash advantage over his other Democratic challengers. He has raised the most of any of the Democrats with over $408,000 in cash on hand. He&rsquo;s running on a message of restoring the American dream, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/bobharvieforcongress.com\/priorities\/\">prioritizing<\/a> lowering living costs, closing tax loopholes for the ultra-wealthy, building housing, and expanding affordable healthcare.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We need a congressman who&rsquo;s going to fight for these kids&rsquo; educations. We need a congressman who&rsquo;s going to fight to protect Social Security and Medicare. We want a congressman who&rsquo;s going to help people build their American dream and continue living that American dream,&rdquo; Harvie said in his May 2025 campaign announcement video.<\/p>\n<p>Harvie has also railed against the Trump administration&rsquo;s immigration enforcement tactics and foreign policy strategies in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Bobharvie_PA01\/status\/2014810355650740398?s=20\">Venezuela<\/a>, seeking to tie Fitzpatrick to the administration&rsquo;s playbook. The Bucks County Democrat has been vocal, condemning Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in the wake of the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Last week we saw the horrific murder of Renee Good. Today, another American has been killed because of the recklessness of Kristi Noem and Donald Trump. Brian Fitzpatrick has cowered to this administration over and over again, and Americans are paying with their lives,&rdquo; Harvie <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Bobharvie_PA01\/status\/2015200124486512692?s=20\">said<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4435891\/house-centrists-immigration-reform-opening-minnesota-shootings\/\"><strong>HOUSE CENTRISTS SEE IMMIGRATION REFORM OPENING AFTER MINNESOTA SHOOTING<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>To get to the general election against Fitzpatrick, Harvie needs to beat out several other candidates who have declared their candidacy for the Democratic nomination. Attorney Tracy Hunt, former U.S. Senate scientific adviser Lucia Simonelli, businessman Rob Strickler, and former private school CFO Thomas Taft have all announced their campaigns for the seat.<\/p>\n<p>Hunt, a former Republican, pitches himself as a moderate and calls himself a &ldquo;modern democrat.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;If you believe like I do, that we can still solve problems, that no one is above the law, that government has a place, but not between my daughters and their doctor, or you just want to find out what the heck is in those Epstein files, you&rsquo;ve got a place in this party and on this campaign,&rdquo; Hunt said in his campaign announcement <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tracyhuntforcongress.com\/\">video<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Hunt, Simonelli, and Strickler all participated in a town hall in January, marketing themselves as three political outsiders vying for a chance to represent their neighbors.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Simonelli expressed disappointment with Harvie for not showing up to the town hall, though he was invited according to WHYY, saying the Democratic candidates can better their chances of flipping the district by exchanging ideas together.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I also think we make each other better,&rdquo; Simonelli <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/whyy.org\/articles\/1st-congressional-district-election-town-hall\/\">said<\/a>. &ldquo;We get to hear ideas and exchange ideas and so the reason I&rsquo;m disappointed that Bob Harvie is not here is because I think we can all benefit from having a forum like this one.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-they-are-saying\">What they are saying<\/h2>\n<p>The Democrats are hitting Fitzpatrick hard, continually bashing his initial &ldquo;yes&rdquo; vote to advance the OBBBA out of the house and saying he doesn&rsquo;t stand up to the Trump administration enough. Simonelli called him &ldquo;spineless,&rdquo; while Hunt said the congressman &ldquo;cannot out-moderate&rdquo; him.<\/p>\n<p>But Fitzpatrick and the National Republican Congressional Committee are bashing these criticisms, pointing to Fitzpatrick&rsquo;s record of bipartisanship.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is hammering Fitzpatrick on affordability issues, saying he has failed to lower costs for Pennsylvanians, his lack of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/dccc.org\/brian-fitzpatrick-shows-his-true-colors-in-brutal-philly-magazine-profile\/\">town halls<\/a>, and his <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/dccc.org\/brian-fitzpatrick-casts-the-deciding-vote-to-protect-donald-trump\/\">vote against<\/a> the War Powers Resolution on Venezuela.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Bucks and Montgomery families want a Congressman who will stand up to Trump and actually do something to lower prices, but Fitzpatrick is too weak to stand up to his own party when it matters most,&rdquo; DCCC spokesperson Eli Cousin said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>Spokeswoman for Fitzpatrick&rsquo;s campaign, Heather Roberts, marked the critiques coming from Democrats as dishonest.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;There is one objective fact that they cannot avoid, and that they have absolutely zero response to: Brian Fitzpatrick is consistently, year-in and year-out, and according to every outside objective scorecard, rated as the #1 most independent and bipartisan Congressman in the entire nation, having achieved the highest bipartisan score ever recorded in U.S. history,&rdquo; Roberts said.<\/p>\n<p>Fitzpatrick defeated his Democratic opponent, army veteran Ashley Ehasz, by about 12.8% points in 2024 and 9.8% points in 2022. His closest general election race was in 2018, when he defeated Democratic opponent Scott Wallace by 2.6%.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;His bipartisan congressional colleagues have repeatedly elected him as Chairman of the only Bipartisan Caucus in Congress.&nbsp; Brian&rsquo;s opponents can make whatever self-serving statements they want, but our PA-1 community obviously knows better,&rdquo; Roberts continued.<\/p>\n<p>NRCC spokesman Reilly Richardson said Fitzpatrick&nbsp; &ldquo;continues to deliver results for Pennsylvanians.&rdquo; He called Harvie &ldquo;corrupt&rdquo; and the other <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/joe-scarborough-argues-white-elitists-pushed-voters-away-from-harris-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Joe Scarborough argues \u2018white elitists\u2019 pushed voters away from Harris - Washington Examiner\">democratic candidates &#038;ldquo<\/a>;clowns&rdquo; who &ldquo;are busy competing to see who can move the farthest left.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Bucks County Democrats are desperate, broke, and hopelessly out of touch,&rdquo; Richardson said.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4074899\/2026-battleground-congress-most-vulnerable-seats\/\"><strong>THE 2026 BATTLEGROUND: CONGRESS&rsquo;S MOST VULNERABLE HOUSE AND SENATE SEATS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Each of the candidates will petition for the primary nominations from February 17 through March 10. The primary will be held on May 19 ahead of the Nov. 3 general election.<\/p>\n<p>Sabato&rsquo;s Crystal Ball, University of Virginia&rsquo;s election forecaster, lists PA-01 as &ldquo;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/centerforpolitics.org\/crystalball\/2026-house\/\">leans Republican<\/a>&rdquo; as of Dec. 2025.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>PA-01 Democrats challenging Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3976,"featured_media":2559820,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/brian-fitzpatrick-e1769888631503.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[60653,45410,72442,45299],"class_list":["post-2559819","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-brian-fitzpatrick","tag-democratic-candidates","tag-pa-01","tag-pennsylvania-politics"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/brian-fitzpatrick-e1769888631503.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2559819","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3976"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2559819"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2559819\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2559826,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2559819\/revisions\/2559826"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2559820"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2559819"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2559819"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2559819"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}