By the time the votes were counted Democrat Bob Harvie did the unthinkable: he beat Republican incumbent Brian Fitzpatrick.
“We shocked a whole lot of political pundits who said for months that this race wasn’t winnable,” Harvie said.
The Democrat’s message was simple: in order to change Washington voters must convert candidates focused on change to become Congressional members.
“And changing Washington is exactly what we’re going to do,” Harvie added.
Harvie beat Fitzpatrick, a five-term incumbent and self-described “moderate” who refused to hold in-person town halls for nearly a decade, meet with constituents or respond to reporter requests for comment.
Harvie’s win may also signal the end of a decades-long “Fitzpatrick Dynasty,” a grip Brian and his brother, the late Michael Fitzpatrick, held on the First Congressional District that stretched back to the George W. Bush Administration.
“Congressman-elect Harvie’s victory last night is a triumph of civility in politics. Brian Fitzpatrick ran a campaign based on unfounded claims, personal smears and misrepresentation,” said Pennsylvania state Representative-elect Tim Hayes (HD-143).
Hayes was among a raft of Democrats to take office away from incumbent Republicans in Harrisburg, and in the nation’s capitol.
“Pennsylvanians stood up tonight, rejected Republicans’ agenda of higher costs and less healthcare, and elected four incredible leaders who are ready to put their communities first in Washington and deliver for the people of the commonwealth,” said Eugene DePasquale, chairperson of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party.
NBC News projects Democrats win control when all races are certified of the House with Democrats taking an estimated 259 seats to Republicans’ 176. The party with 218 seats holds the majority in the Lower House of Congress.
Fitzpatrick began his re-election early with negative tactics, false allegations about an FBI investigation into Harvie, and a targeted “smear campaign” that included public highway billboards and yard signs posted throughout the voting district. As late as last week, Fitzpatrick sued to remove a Bucks County election official, whom he alleged was “biased against him.” A judge denied the lawsuit.
Eli Cousin, a spokesperson for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said Fitzpatrick “revealed his true colors in this campaign,” was no longer a moderate, independent thinker and “ran one of the nastiest and most despicable campaigns in the country. He’ll be remembered for gutter politics and for hiring a convicted felon to write fake citations.”
Hayes added Harvie’s campaign focused on Fitzpatrick’s record and “kitchen table issues” and that voters were “sick” of Fitzpatrick’s campaign gambit.
“Bob’s campaign messaging … focused on Fitzpatrick’s record and kitchen table issues. The results last night made it clear that voters are sick of the kind of campaign that Fitzpatrick ran,” Hayes added.
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“Harviementum was not by accident. The DCCC made strategic investments to close the gap and spent $2 million on TV ads supporting Bob with a simple message: a vote for Bob was a vote for change, and a vote for Fitzpatrick was a vote to continue Republican control,” Cousin said.
On Tuesday, voters in Pennsylvania also flipped the state Senate Blue and expanded Democratic seats in the House to create a Democratic trifecta in Harrisburg.
While Cousin acknowledged Fitzpatrick had long held strength among “ticket splitting” voters, it became clear Tuesday that the majority of those casting ballots wanted Democratic control and change in Washington.
“This is a very sweet victory. We beat someone the pundits said was unbeatable,” Cousin said.
According to a spokesperson for Bucks County Commissioners, the county’s Court of Common Pleas will appoint a commissioner to serve the balance of Harvie’s term once he leaves office to serve in Washington.
The new Congress is sworn in on Jan. 3, 2027.
