Lucia Simonelli is running against a growing field of Democratic candidates hoping to be the Pennsylvania’s First Congressional District’s (PA-01) chosen contender to unseat incumbent Republican Brian Fitzpatrick next year.
Simonelli, of Quakertown, said primary races with more than one candidate on the ballot provide voters with the biggest range of options. She also believes Upper Bucks County voters have been under-represented for far too long.
“I think there is a real potential to activate and have a strong primary election. Healthy competition for the one opportunity is valuable because the primary is part of the election process where we have a choice,” she said.
READ: Inside Elections Moves PA-01 From Likely to Lean Republican
She added the best way to beat a “strong and popular incumbent” is to reach as many voters as possible.
Simonelli joins Bob Harvie, president of Bucks County Commissioners, Republican-turned- Democrat Tracy Hunt, and political ‘outsider’ Rob Strickler, all vying for the chance to go against Fitzpatrick next year.
Simonelli said a lot of Democrats – and others – seem disenfranchised from the blue party. “There are issues not being elevated or talked about.”
Health care – and “being bold about talking about public options” to meet American’s health care needs; electric utility costs and a persistent overall energy policy with continued reliance on fossil fuels, coupled with rollbacks to clean energy investment and development, are among her top concerns.
Simonelli currently works as the director of programs for a non-profit organization focused on scaling technologies to help clean air.
Avoiding foreign policy discussions leaves voter-elected power on the table, according to Simonelli.
“Foreign policy is often not part of this discussion. It’s not something we hear about from candidates,” Simonelli said.
Permitting top Washington leadership the sole primary responsibility to set and navigate foreign policy shortcuts congress’s role in this aspect of governance, she said.
She said scientific and technological innovation and competitiveness are “being dismantled” and causing an “existential threat” to America’s standing at home and abroad in these areas.
Among Simonelli’s strengths is her work as a scientific advisor in the U.S. Senate, and she has a working understanding of the legislative process.
“I know when [the legislative process] works, and I know the pitfalls in particular. There’s a lot of discussion about the influence of dark money, corporate interests and billionaires in our process,” she said.
Simonelli supports campaign finance reform guardrails to prevent dark money’s influence on public servants and their offices.
“My biggest hurdle – if I go to Washington – is how hard it is to get new, stand-alone legislation passed,” Simonelli added.
She noted the best shot at making a difference in office is to be tuned-in to oversight and appropriate bill cycles, which “opportunities to hit the ground running.”
“We talk about things we want to do in a campaign so by the time we get elected there’s a lot of pressure to present sweeping big ideas – or ideas that require things that require a new piece of legislation. This is aspirational and what brings us hope and optimism,” Simonelli explained.
Born in Montgomery County and living in Quakertown, Simonelli holds a doctorate in mathematics. She is also a public education champion.
“There has been discussion about education as being elitist – which is one thing that’s important for me to push back against. The fact is that access to public education was a route for me,” she said. She also supports job training and technical and vocational education.
“My parents worked wage-labor jobs, and we worked to attend community college and then [move] on [to university]. It’s one of the ways we can achieve this American Dream people talk about,” Simonelli said.
This is her first time running for public office.
