Somehow, having two strong Democratic congressional candidates in the May primary is a problem – at least among some Democrats active on social media.
Bob Harvie supporters would rather his unapologetically progressive opponent Lucia Simonelli drop out of the race. Lucia’s backers think Bob is an establishment, centrist Democrat who’s incapable of exciting younger voters and turning out disaffected independents to the polls. And the online sniping in Pennsylvania’s first congressional district and Bucks County is representative of sometimes acrimonious disagreements among Democrats across the country fighting for the future and direction of their party – and the country.
“Lucia’s campaign is a mirror of how Democrats are fracturing nationally,” said Laura Foster.
Foster, a Pennridge parent who co-founded Indivisible’s Upper Bucks United chapter, said that grassroots Democrats like herself have grown tired of the party establishment’s status quo politics and lack of fight and imagination.
One thing that irks voters like Laura is how the Bucks County Democratic Party essentially anointed Bob to take on Republican incumbent Brian Fitzpatrick before anyone else even announced. In fact, State Senator Steve Santarsiero posted on Facebook on April 3, 2025, “I am proud to stand with Bob Harvie in his run for Congress.” This just happened to be the same day Bob announced he is running for Congress.
READ: Despite Recent Victories, Many Democrats Are Still Down on Their Party, a New AP-NORC Poll Finds
Now personally, I don’t see a problem for State Senator Santarsiero to endorse Bob Harvie that far in advance. But one could make a pretty strong argument that it is problematic for Bucks County Democratic Chair Santarsiero to endorse Bob before anyone else announced and 11 months and seven days before petitions were due to be filed with the Pennsylvania Department of State. Lucia supporters also don’t like the fact that the Party voted at the end of February to endorse Bob before the petitions were even collected or submitted, never mind before actual voters had their say in the May 19 primary.
This sent a clear message to Democrats, they say, especially elected committee people – it’s Bob, no matter what.
Who is Lucia Simonelli
Lucia, who lives in Quakertown, is running for elected office for the first time. While she doesn’t have the experience as an officeholder that her opponent does (not a requirement for the position), she brings an impressive resume nonetheless.
Lucia got her PhD in Mathematics from the University of Maryland. She received a postdoctoral fellowship through UNESCO, which sent her to teach around the globe in countries such as Iran, and Ecuador, where she co-organized the first Latin American School in Applied Mathematics in Quito. Lucia worked for Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse’s office writing climate and energy policy. She currently works for a DC-based nonprofit working on federal climate policy. And not to mention my favorite: like Barack Obama before he became an elected official and eventually president, Lucia when she is not working her 9 to 5 is a community organizer (for Upper Bucks United).
She believes all of her experience around the globe and right at home in Bucks County – and actually working on federal policy for the past seven years – at the very least rivals, if not eclipses Bob’s work on the Falls Township Board of Supervisors from 2003-2020 and his current stint and second term as Bucks County Commissioner. He was also a local high school social studies teacher for more than two decades, which I actually think is pretty great.
And while you can say that Bob’s 26 years as a local elected official and deep Bucks roots gives him name recognition advantage, something Lucia admitted to a certain extent is the case, it’s not as big as you might think. According to a recent poll conducted by Global Strategy Group (for Bob’s campaign), Brian Fitzpatrick has a huge name recognition advantage over Bob among those surveyed: 92% to 24%. If only one in four voters knows who Bob is, that’s not insurmountable by any stretch of the imagination. And if a local Democratic Party activist says they know Bob, but they haven’t known of Lucia (until now), quite frankly that doesn’t mean much to the average voter not entrenched in local Democratic Party politics.
But moving away from the resume and name recognition competition, Lucia believes she has a clear advantage with policy and messaging that’s going to excite the base and turn out new voters.
That’s one of the reasons why Helen Tai is backing Lucia for Congress.
Helen is a former state representative, former Solebury Supervisor, founded and led the Bucks County Democratic Committee mail-in ballot team for five years, has served on Governor Josh Shapiro’s Advisory Commission on Women since 2022, is chair of the Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania, a board member of Ceasefire PA, and too much more to mention. (Does she sleep?) But the moral of Helen’s story is that she walks her talk when it comes to working and fighting for progressive democratic politics both inside and outside of the Democratic Party.
“I would be so excited if she were my congressperson,” Helen told me.
She is impressed with Lucia’s depth and breadth of knowledge on the issues and her ability to “integrate her knowledge and her beliefs into really well thought out policy positions.”
“She’s the type of person running the type of campaign that I think we need more of if we’re really gonna fight for our democratic values. She’s the type of person who will do it and who can do it,” Helen added.
What type of campaign is she running? Unconventional, but not unrealistic.
For one, she is not chasing dollars.
“I fundamentally believe that any strategy whose success is predicated on matching Fitzpatrick’s fundraising amount is just not gonna win because we’re never gonna raise that amount of money,” said Lucia.
I’ve seen people online opine about the importance of DCCC money being injected into this race in the general as a way to make the case for Bob, who has outraised Lucia 26 to 1.
But even if Bob or Lucia were able to outspend Brian Fitzpatrick in the coming months, it doesn’t guarantee success. Back in 2018 local Democrat and multimillionaire Scott Wallace dug deep into his own pockets to do just that. He still lost.
In contrast, Bob’s campaign isn’t as idealistic – critics might say Quixotic – as Lucia’s when it comes to de-centering money from the campaign.
“She’s the type of person running the type of campaign that I think we need more of if we’re really gonna fight for our democratic values. She’s the type of person who will do it and who can do it.” – Helen Tai
According to a January 2026 article in Jewish Insider, Bob’s campaign “will accept donations from any source.” The elephant in the room, or in the article, was actually AIPAC (which supports Fitzpatrick), and whether Bob would take their money. The expectation is that if you accept AIPAC money, you will support the Israeli government unconditionally.
Bob’s campaign hasn’t received AIPAC money. However, he made it clear to Jewish Insider that when it comes to military aid to Israel, “I don’t see a reason for conditions.”
Lucia on the other hand has said she won’t support unconditional military aid to the Netanyahu government and believes Israel has committed “genocide in Gaza.”
Personally, I don’t think other countries should give the United States unconditional support (or Israel or other American allies for that matter whom in many respects are no better or no worse than the U.S.). And this isn’t just about the Trump administration, which has extrajudicially executed poor fishermen in the Caribbean, targeted civilian infrastructure in Iran (war crimes), and threatened genocide against 93 million Iranians. America has always projected its power abroad irresponsibly, from George W. Bush to Ronald Reagan to Dwight Eisenhower, and on and on.
But the Israel/Gaza issue is a divisive one, and one that took center stage within the party last presidential election, even costing Kamala Harris votes, reports The Times of Israel. That hasn’t changed much with other races this year – including this one.
But turning our focus inward domestically, for one, both candidates talk about affordability. There’s nothing unique there; neither candidate owns that issue. Heck, Trump even used it during his successful presidential campaign. And it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that inflation and soaring prices as a result of Trump’s reckless tariffs (supported by Brian Fitzpatrick) and the destabilization of the global economy as a result of the War on Iran (also supported unconditionally by Brian Fitzpatrick) are hugely unpopular.
There is quite a bit of sunlight, however, when it comes to health care.
Lucia is not shy about letting folks know that she believes health care is a human right and the policy that champions this belief is Medicare for All. She would also support adding a public option to President Obama’s Affordable Care Act, which he originally wanted but took out because of centrist, status quo Democrats in his own party. And guess what? The former president is a supporter of Medicare for All.
Bob Harvie? Not so much.
At an August 2025 town hall meeting, Bob was asked about this topic. He told the audience, “We have the best health care in the world in this country.”
Now personally I found that statement pretty cringeworthy, not just because it is not true, but also because I see it as this reflexive fallback to the myth of “American exceptionalism.” But others in the crowd also groaned and said “No we don’t.” Though Bob clarified, by saying “If you can afford it.” (Still not convinced, but that’s just my personal belief.)
Now in defense of Bob, he did go on to say health care “should not be a privilege. It absolutely should be a right.”
And right before he answered this health care question he made an excellent point. He said:
“And so a lot of times our party does a bad job, it has for a while, a bad job of putting out our position and of fighting back … And the result is that people don’t think we’re going to fight for them. If we often times don’t fight for ourselves, then why would anybody vote for me to fight for you? I am not happy with the leadership of the Democratic Party nationally.”
But when it actually comes to fighting for the idea that health care is a right and universal health care is the solution, he is throwing in the towel before he even gets in the ring. It’s almost as if he forgot what he had just said moments prior.
Why?
“I will tell you that I do not think America is ready for a national health care system,” he said.
This, again, is exactly what Bob should be willing to fight for. But Bob points out, and maybe he is right, “that there are too many people in the country who are terrified about what it means for them.”
This is the result of decades-long disinformation and red-baiting campaigns by the Republican Party and the health insurance industry. You have to be willing and able to argue the case and cut through that noise to successfully explain to voters why single-payer, publicly funded and privately run health care actually lifts all boats. Heck, it would even benefit businesses.
READ: Thanks to Republican Medicaid and ACA Cuts, Pennsylvanians Find Themselves in a Health Care Crisis
Lucia supporter Laura Foster pointed to this as a major issue for her. “I don’t know how we are this far along as a country [250 years] and not have some form of universal health care.”
Here is a list of some of the scary “socialist” countries with some form of free or national health care: Israel, Canada, the UK, Germany, France, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Japan, South Korea, Brazil … and so many more.
To Bob’s credit he agrees that universal health care does in fact work in other countries. He just thinks it will be too difficult to change people’s misconceptions about it here in PA-01 and across the United States and that it would be a fight that will cost Democrats wins in November. I might not agree with him, but I do appreciate his honesty and that he didn’t try to tell people just what they wanted to hear (a skill Republican Brian Fitzpatrick has mastered depending on his audience).
Listen to Bob’s full response:
Lucia has a bolder, more progressive take, and believes it’s worth the fight, even if it means losing before winning. She explained in a Bucks County Beacon candidate questionnaire:
“Some of my family, who live abroad, have never had to deal with monthly premiums, denial of coverage, or medical debt – no one in the United States should either. Medicare for all would be cheaper per capita than our current system through a reduction in administrative fees and prescription drug costs. As a step toward Medicare for All, I really like the State-based Universal Healthcare Act, which would allow states, voluntarily, to trial Medicare for All through a waiver program.”
And what about supporting the CHOICE Act, which would add a public option to the Affordable Care Act? Here’s what Lucia believes:
“If this is the route that is most politically tractable in the near-term, I would support it as an interim measure. Many people like the idea of preserving choice and would feel more comfortable with this as a next step; I would note that it may have limited power to curb the influence of private companies and not result in the structural shift needed to fully reform our healthcare system.”
Now the Beacon asked Bob these questions and more, the same exact ones that Lucia took the time to answer in the aforementioned questionnaire. It wasn’t a typical voter Q&A you might find in other local media that allows for broad, general answers in order to avoid clearly stated beliefs and commitments. I wanted to hold candidates’ feet to the fire.
Other questions included:
Do you support the abolishment or disbanding of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)?
Lucia: I believe immigration policy should reflect fairness, dignity, legal integrity, and practical solutions that prioritize human rights and safety. Because of this, ICE must be abolished …
Bob: Blank
Do you support the Qualified Immunity Abolition Act of 2026 (S. 3625) to remove the legal shield for federal, state, and local officers?
Lucia: Yes. This is important, but not enough. I would also support legislation giving people the right to sue federal officials for violation of their civil and constitutional rights.
Bob: Blank
Do you support implementing a wealth tax on the top 1% of earners?
Lucia: Yes. I absolutely support a wealth tax, but I think it’s important to be clear on what “earners” means…
Bob: Blank
Do you support “tax-on-exit” legislation for corporations that move production to foreign countries?
Lucia: Yes. Corporations enjoy a disproportionate amount of power in this country. Our regulatory structure already favors them; the fact that they can also leverage tax havens to increase profit while not paying their fair share here should not be allowed.
Bob: Blank
What are your top three concrete policy proposals to address the climate crisis while ensuring economic stability for workers in Bucks County?
Lucia: First, I would support coupling investment in transmission infrastructure with the responsible reduction of red tape for permitting clean energy projects…
Second, I support investing in research, development, and demonstration programs across agencies for economic sectors that are more complex to decarbonize, such as industrial processes and agriculture…
Third, I would support restoring and increasing funding to programs developing ways to integrate carbon management into our infrastructure in a way that simultaneously supports mitigation and adaptation…
Bob: Blank
You can read all of Lucia’s answers (in full) here: https://buckscountybeacon.com/candidate/lucia-simonelli/
Unfortunately after repeated requests to Bob Harvie’s campaign, the Bucks County Beacon is still waiting for a response two months later. I have to admit, I think not answering is pretty weak. But maybe as a campaign strategy it’s “smart”?
Who is more electable?
This idea of electability keeps coming up in this race. I get it.
Democrats from Democratic Party officials to (some) Indivisible activists want Brian Fitzpatrick out of office by any electoral means necessary. And the Democratic Party locally has not been able to crack the code in defeating him. All it knows is losing.
So is Bob the safe, “electable” choice?
“Having choices is refreshing, however I think it is important to also remember that electability is key in one of the most watched, most important congressional districts in the country,” Perkasie’s Christina Leigh told me.
She said Harvie has been an advocate for change and progressive values on the ground in Bucks County that many voters like her not only recognize, and have witnessed, but also deeply appreciate. She also thinks the “party insider” label given to him is unfair, noting he only recently (in January 2020) retired from teaching.
“He has consistently participated in our democracy over the years and helped propel the democratic values that many voters felt were missing,” Christina added. “Simonelli, by contrast, has yet to run for even a local position and a glaringly sparse voting record which is the most basic form of community political participation one can do. Where I find her intelligent and contemplative, Harvie has a history of listening to constituents, relevant experience and reliability. We have to win to make change.”
READ: Despite Recent Victories, Many Democrats Are Still Down on Their Party, a New AP-NORC Poll Finds
This is part of the (sometimes ugly) debate happening. Does Bob’s local government experience trump Lucia’s federal policymaking experience and enthusiastic and articulate progressive policy positions?
Harvie’s local credibility can’t be completely dismissed, said Doylestown Democrat Connor O’Hanlon.
“You can’t deny that he’s been involved and engaged in helping people and doing this stuff for a long time. Like that’s what people don’t seem to grasp onto. Those relationships mean something even when you might disagree,” he told me.
But don’t mistake Connor for someone who dismisses Lucia or her campaign.
“She’s an asset to a longer term vision and project that the progressive movement should have [here],” he added.
He does think that both Bob and Lucia should be having debates and discussions both “publicly and privately.”
“You can’t deny that [Bob’s] been involved and engaged in helping people and doing this stuff for a long time. Like that’s what people don’t seem to grasp onto. Those relationships mean something even when you might disagree.” – Doylestown Democrat Connor O’Hanlon
I want to put the emphasis on publicly.
It’s a travesty that Bob has only agreed to one public event with Lucia – an April 27 League of Women Voters candidate forum. And I am actually shocked that the Bucks County Democratic Party didn’t take this opportunity to showcase these two very smart and capable, though different types of candidates up and down the county in town hall style forums and debates. It’s a missed opportunity to test messages, get messages out, and potentially excite and activate voters. And I’m sorry, but I personally just don’t buy the excuse of potential damage by Republicans recording the events and using that against Bob, or Lucia for that matter.
Helen Tai, even though she is a Lucia supporter, makes a strong case for more debate for both sides.
“In this moment of time, to beat an incumbent as strong as Fitzpatrick, who also has support from Democrats, I think it’s about building energy and building momentum, engaging people who feel disconnected, disenfranchised, maybe a bit disillusioned from establishment politics,” said Helen. “So a primary season, I think, is this really important part of the democratic process that serves as a laboratory space to test different ideas and also strategically mobilize as many people as we can.”
That’s just not happening.
The Democratic Party finds itself with its best shot of defeating Brian Fitzpatrick since he first ran. Trump’s increasingly extremist Republican Party, the deteriorating state of the country, our diminishing standing in the world, along with Fitzpatrick’s voting record and complete lack of sway in Congress or within his own MAGA GOP, have left him in a weak and vulnerable position like never before. I believe it’s possible that both Lucia or Bob, if they run the right campaign on the right issues, ought to beat Fitzpatrick this year in November.
It’s possible.
But here’s what is certain: I don’t know who’s the best candidate or what the magic campaign formula looks like. And if past is prologue, neither does the local Democratic Party.
