Summary: In a competitive Pennsylvania district, some Republican voters are abandoning Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick because of frustration with President Trump and national politics, even though Fitzpatrick has often broken with the president. Democratic challenger Bob Harvie emphasizes local roots and trust-building, while Fitzpatrick relies on strong name recognition, a record of constituent engagement, and heavy campaign spending. Attack ads, a defamation lawsuit, and national headwinds make the race unusually competitive.
Swing-State Republican Distances From Trump — Can Fitzpatrick Hold His Seat?
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., center, and Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., right, talk to reporters about partisan gerrymandering, the reshaping of congressional districts to benefit one political party, during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
YARDLEY, Pa. — Mary Ryan is a registered Republican, but she has never voted for President Donald Trump. The 60-year-old medical writer from the Philadelphia suburbs says she is turned off by his crude style and chaotic governing — and this year she plans to back Democrat Bob Harvie for Congress instead of her party's five-term incumbent, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick.
Ryan's defection underscores a source of anxiety for Republicans: even incumbents who break with Trump may struggle to insulate themselves from broader dissatisfaction with the president and national politics. Fitzpatrick has repeatedly cast himself as an independent voice in Washington, opposing Trump-era tariffs, voting against the signature tax bill, and rejecting expanded unilateral war powers to strike Iran. He also skipped Trump's recent midterm convention in Dallas.
Still, those dissents may not be enough to overcome the political headwinds. Rising fuel costs tied to the war and a sagging presidential approval rating could create collateral damage for House Republicans, even in districts where incumbents have established strong local support.
Speaking after a Sept. 11 memorial in his district, Fitzpatrick said he understands the political challenges and evaluates every vote based on what he believes best serves his constituents. "That's the job," he said. His office did not provide a fuller interview for this story.
Harvie, a two-time county commissioner and former social studies teacher, frames his campaign as a response to widening distrust in government and growing social divisions. "I worry about just the basic foundations of this nation," he told a reporter this summer.
Despite the current tension, Fitzpatrick has a track record of surviving competitive contests in a politically mixed district. According to local returns cited in the race, he won by 13 percentage points in 2024 while the Democratic presidential ticket carried the district by less than a point; in 2022 he prevailed by about 10 points even as Democrats won statewide races; and in 2020 Joe Biden carried the district while Fitzpatrick still won by about 13 points.
"Every two years Democrats in Washington label Congressman Fitzpatrick as vulnerable. Every two years he wins anyway," said Robert Speel, an associate professor of political science at Penn State Erie, likening Fitzpatrick's resilience to Charlie Brown's repeated attempts to kick the football.
FILE - Bob Harvie, Pennsylvania congressional candidate, arrives to speak at Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro's election night watch party in Warminster, Pa., May 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)(AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Harvie emphasizes his deep local ties as a distinguishing strength. "I'm not somebody who needs to be reintroduced or introduced to people of this district," he said, arguing that his roots make the race different from previous challenges Fitzpatrick has faced.
Local voters are split. Jean Dolan, 61, a Democratic voter from Newtown, said she has never supported Fitzpatrick and remains concerned about immigration policy and anti-vaccine rhetoric coming from the national Republican conversation. "He's a nice guy... But you have to serve everyone in your district," she said. By contrast, Jim Rachau, a 45-year-old independent from Doylestown, plans to support Fitzpatrick again, citing the congressman's prior service as an FBI agent.
Fitzpatrick's résumé includes an MBA and a law degree, service as an FBI special agent, work as an assistant U.S. attorney, and time in private law and accounting practice. He first ran for the seat previously held by his brother, Mike Fitzpatrick, who died in 2020.
On the ground, Fitzpatrick highlights steady constituent engagement: meeting neighborhood groups, joining striking sheet metal workers on a picket line, attending a Catholic parish picnic, and visiting a community college maternity coalition. He also co-hosts a podcast with Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi, where he has criticized the polarized, noisy tone of national politics and urged a focus on "kitchen table" issues.
Financially, the race is competitive. FEC records show Fitzpatrick has disbursed nearly $5 million to defend his seat. Negative attack ads targeting Harvie have proliferated, including claims that he is under FBI investigation — allegations he denies. Harvie has filed a federal defamation suit against a super PAC that ran some of the ads; his attorneys say he was called to testify as a witness in a 2020 local-government probe but was never charged. The FBI did not respond to requests for comment.
No formal debate between Fitzpatrick and Harvie has been scheduled. The two men did appear at the same Sept. 11 memorial, standing at opposite sides of the lectern without any visible interaction.
For voters like Ryan, the calculus has become less about the incumbent's personal qualities and more about whether House Republicans will resist the president's influence. "Incumbents just feel they can't cross that line. If they do, they're not going to get reelected," she said — while acknowledging that even distancing from the president might not change the ultimate outcome. "They might not get reelected anyway."
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