HARRISBURG — Democrat Bob Harvie has defeated Republican incumbent Brian Fitzpatrick in Pennsylvania’s 1st Congressional District.
Harvie, a Bucks County commissioner, claimed victory at an election party hosted by the Bucks County Democratic Committee. He called Tuesday “a point in history where America has turned.”
“The last 18 months of this campaign had been about building a future and building back the American dream that so many of us were raised to believe in,” Harvie told a room full of supporters.
The Associated Press called the race at 12:41 a.m. Wednesday.
Located outside Philadelphia, in the southeastern corner of the commonwealth, the 1st Congressional District covers all of Bucks County and a portion of Montgomery County. Of the nearly 575,000 registered voters in the district, about 40% are Democrats, 41% are Republicans, and 18% are unaffiliated, according to state data.
Fitzpatrick, a former FBI agent, sought a sixth term. His campaign platform featured 14 different issues, including government and immigration reform, as well as preserving Medicare and Social Security, and protecting LGBTQ residents from discrimination.
During his tenure in the House, Fitzpatrick has distanced himself from President Donald Trump, positioning himself as an independent-minded Republican. He voted against Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” and Canada tariffs, but only after moving several times to prevent such a vote from happening on the latter issue. He also voted to end the war in Iran after rejecting previous such efforts for being premature and too broad.
Harvie, a former public school teacher, campaigned on his “New Fair Deal for Working Families” platform. The 12-priority agenda included healthcare reform, middle-class tax cuts, and anti-corruption policies. He opposes the war in Iran and Trump’s tariffs.
The nonpartisan Cook Political Report changed its rating of the race from “lean Republican” to “toss up” just days before the election.
Spotlight PA’s Kate Huangpu contributed reporting.