As voters headed to the primary polls Tuesday, eyes were trained on two fiercely contested Bucks County races.
In Pennsylvania’s first congressional district, the question over who will face off against incumbent Republican Brian Fitzpatrick in November’s mid-terms will be decided.
Democrat and Bucks County Commissioner Bob Harvie has logged scores of endorsements over the past several weeks, including backing last week from Gov. Josh Shapiro. Running against Harvie for a chance to unseat multiple-term Congressman Fitzpatrick is progressive and Quakertown resident Lucia Simonelli.
The second closely-watched race involves Bucks and Lehigh counties’ Pennsylvania’s Senate district 16 – currently held by Breinigsville resident and incumbent Republican Jarrett Coleman.
Pennsylvania SD-16 encompasses portions of Lehigh and Bucks counties.
Democrats Bradley Merkl-Gump, a Pennridge School District board director and middle school teacher, is running against Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley.
Common Dreams reported Friday Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders endorsed Pinsley in the primary, a nod he extended to 61 progressive candidates across the nation.
The district is considered “highly unusual” due to its geographic make-up; crossing county lines and including nearly 268,000 residents across roughly 548.6 square miles.
Shapiro is also running for a second term as Pennsylvania’s governor. Austin Davis is running for a second term as Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor.
Republican state Treasurer Stacy Garrity, of Bradford County, is running for a spot on the Republican ballot to go up against Shapiro in November; while state Sen. Doug Mastriano, who was defeated handily by Shapiro in the 2022 gubernatorial election, has a grassroots “write in” campaign backing him in Tuesday’s Republican primary against Garrity.
