Fitzpatrick fights to hold Harris-won Pennsylvania seat as Democrats pour in millions

Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, one of the few House Republicans defending a district Kamala Harris won in 2024, faces a tightening race against Bucks County Commissioner Bob Harvie as Democrats spend more than $10 million on ads.

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a six-term Republican, is facing one of the toughest re-election fights of his career in Pennsylvania's 1st Congressional District against Democrat Bob Harvie, a Bucks County commissioner. The district, which covers all of Bucks County and part of Montgomery County in the Philadelphia suburbs, voted for Kamala Harris in 2024.

The Cook Political Report recently moved the race from "likely" to "lean" Republican, saying it "could be quite close," and Inside Elections made a similar shift. A Public Policy Polling survey released by Harvie's campaign showed the two tied at 41% with 19% undecided, a result the National Republican Congressional Committee dismissed as "bogus."

Millions in ad spending

The Bucks County Courthouse in Doylestown, Pennsylvania

Democrats have spent more than $10 million on ads in the district since September, according to AdImpact data cited by CNN. Republican groups have also stepped in, including $100,000 from MAGA Inc., and Fitzpatrick put $5 million of his own money into the race between July and September.

Fitzpatrick has built an independent profile. He was one of only two House Republicans to vote against Trump's signature tax and spending package, has signed more discharge petitions than any other Republican in this Congress and won the endorsement of the AFL-CIO. Former Sen. Joe Manchin has also endorsed him.

'Against the party that caused this'

Harvie argues Fitzpatrick rarely breaks with the president when it matters. "I don't really know the last time he's cast a vote that matters against the president," Harvie told CNN. Fitzpatrick traces his party ties to an earlier era: "I'm a registered Republican from when I was 18, but I did that because of Ronald Reagan."

Some voters say national politics is driving their choice. "I'm against the party that caused this," said Dave Woods, a registered Democrat, as a new CNN poll put Trump's approval rating at a record low.

The candidates have not debated. Fitzpatrick has claimed Harvie was the subject of an FBI investigation, which Harvie denies. The Philadelphia Inquirer's editorial board has endorsed Harvie, while Fitzpatrick defeated Democrat Ashley Ehasz in the last two elections with at least 54% of the vote.

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