When I decided to run for Congress in PA-01 for the seat currently held by Republican incumbent Brian Fitzpatrick, I did so because, like many Americans, my anger and frustration with the Trump Administration and its march toward Authoritarianism demanded I do something. Watching the erosion of our Democracy and the dismantling of our system of checks and balances also made me question what our elected officials were doing to stop it. It turns out the Republicans were doing nothing, and the career establishment Democrats didn’t have real solutions either.
A true democracy — our democracy — was founded of, by, and for the people. (Those aren’t just my words; that’s Indivisible.org’s own vision statement.) That’s why I was stunned when Kierstyn Zolfo, in her role as an organizer for Indivisible Bucks County, authored a November 11 piece in this publication that was so biased, inaccurate, and undemocratic in its portrayal of me that I felt compelled to respond — not just about me, but about what democracy truly means.
The Numbers Don’t Lie
Let’s start with some facts.
In Bucks County, there are currently over 202,000 registered Republicans, 192,000 registered Democrats, and 85,000 third-party or unaffiliated voters. All of those groups turned out to vote in 2024. Since then, as PhillyBurbs points out in an Oct. 1 article, Republicans and unaffiliated voters have gained voters (955 and 174 respectively), while Democrats have lost 1,129.
What does this mean?
Despite the fantastic Democratic successes recently, both locally and nationally, we cannot win in 2026 without third-party and unaffiliated voters. Republicans will line up behind their candidate. Democrats will line up behind theirs — but with 10,000 fewer registered voters than the Republicans.
If Ms. Zolfo truly believed in democracy, she would accept my campaign’s proposal for three candidate forums, hosted by Indivisible Bucks, where voters could hear directly from all Democratic contenders.
So whoever connects best with those 85,000+ independent voters will win. That’s how Brian Fitzpatrick has held this seat four times — even during the 2018 Blue Wave and in 2020, when Joe Biden carried PA-01 by six points — often winning by large margins.
They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Well, trotting out a career politician that is backed by the establishment seems to be exactly what Ms. Zolfo would like to see happen. While she attempts to support a theory for why this time it will turn out differently, her bias outweighs her logic.
She argues that her preferred candidate, Bob Harvie, has “won” twice in Bucks County. However, the 3-person Bucks County Board of Commissioners (Mr. Harvie’s current political office) are decided by the top 3 vote getters for that election — two from the majority party and one from the minority party. What she leaves out is that those “wins” came from finishing third in the 2019 County Commissioners race (only 655 votes from fourth place) and second in the 2023 race. As we all know, finishing second in a general election for Congress means you lost.
Bias, Smears, and Omitted Truths
Ms. Zolfo’s piece spends most of its space trying to tear me down — personally, professionally, and politically — in a style that leans closer to libel than journalism. She takes a swipe at what she calls a “stain” on my legal career, referencing a six-month suspension from five years ago. What she omits is that it was the result of not completing the annual continuing legal education requirements on time and writing 2 letters on law firm letterhead before completing the requirements and that I self-reported the issue before any action was taken.
Ms. Zolfo conveniently omits how in the Philadelphia Inquirer article, as well as in the Delaware Valley Journal and any other publication that sought comment, I took responsibility for my mistake. I’ve always been accountable — unlike most career politicians. As Ms. Zolfo sits in judgment of my 27-year legal career, I can only imagine how she might describe a candidate whose name and political office has been associated with a years-long investigation by the FBI for corruption.
For context, I’ve represented working people and stood up to corporate giants. I’ve gone toe-to-toe with Bank of America, won a precedent-setting case against the NFL for the late John Facenda, and taken on Toll Brothers — exposing that then-Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick accepted flights on the Toll Brothers jet while they pursued a shady land swap in Newtown Township involving the federal government. I have drafted, interpreted, litigated and advised countless elected officials throughout Bucks County on statutes and ordinances.
That’s what accountability looks like. Results. Service. Integrity.
So when Ms. Zolfo tries to cast me as some kind of wolf in sheep’s clothing, it’s not just false — it’s insulting to the people who know my record of fighting for them.
Conspiracies and Convenient Fictions
Ms. Zolfo’s “research” — if we can call it that — drifts into conspiracy theory territory. She strings together names of people who’ve crossed paths professionally over the past two decades and suggests it’s part of a plot to undermine Democrats. However, Ms. Zolfo’s haphazard use of Google, ChatGPT and whatever other “research” she may have used does nothing but reflect her journalistic incompetence.
Here are the actual facts:
– My relationship with Begley, Carlin & Mandio was as Of Counsel—a contractual position, not an employee.
– I joined in 2021 and left in 2025 when I launched my campaign.
– I worked in New Hope, not the firm’s main office in Langhorne, and my job was to grow business in my community.
If Ms. Zolfo cared about facts as much as she does about gaslighting her audience, she would have known I was not at BCM when any of the ridiculous scenarios she advances took place. One of the few accurate observations Ms. Zolfo makes is that Begley, Carlin & Mandio has generally been associated with the Republican Party here in Bucks County. So, once I decided to run for Congress as a Democrat, the decision was made that it would be best for all involved if we ended the relationship.
In less than four years, I brought in roughly 100 new clients. So, the idea that I would walk away from all that to “pretend” to run for Congress is absurd — and Ms. Zolfo knows it.
The Real Undemocratic Act
Here’s where Ms. Zolfo’s behavior crosses the line from biased to undemocratic. She fixates on how often I’ve voted — or didn’t — as if that disqualifies me from public service. She conveniently ignores that I’ve voted in every general election since 2018, except one. Like millions of others, my civic engagement grew stronger during the Trump era, when it became clear how much was at stake.
As one of the organizers of Indivisible Bucks her tactic of vote shaming borders on sacrilege.
Ms. Zolfo’s real goal isn’t to “inform” voters. It’s to gatekeep the process — to clear the field for her preferred establishment candidate, and to discourage anyone outside the party machine from participating. She pretends to be writing as a service to voters. What she is really trying to do is stifle democracy.
READ: Political ‘Outsider’ Rob Strickler Announces Congressional Run in PA-01
She thinks it is appropriate to throw numerous baseless claims onto the internet — that she even admits on her various reposts of her piece are merely “circumstantial” and may not be true — in an effort to disparage me for having the audacity to engage in the most basic tenets of democracy; allowing the people to hear for themselves from those wanting to represent them.
Her real objective is to try to clear the path for her preferred candidate, Bob Harvie; the establishment career politician who cannot beat Brian Fitzpatrick.
If Ms. Zolfo truly believed in democracy, she would accept my campaign’s proposal for three candidate forums, hosted by Indivisible Bucks, where voters could hear directly from all Democratic contenders. Let the people decide — not party insiders.
But she won’t. Because she’s afraid of what real democracy looks like.
Door C: The People’s Choice
Perhaps if Ms. Zolfo engaged in unbiased research and was trying to actually provide helpful, accurate information to the readers instead of gaslighting them about a person she never reached out to about her concerns — despite having Facebook messaged with him — she would have added a third option — Door C.
This is the one where a regular citizen decides to try to make a difference in this broken political system by running for Congress.
A person shaped by a military upbringing, a strong work ethic, a long legal career, years of college teaching and community service, fatherhood and family life, and a deep sense of accountability to the people he serves.
All characteristics that make him more than qualified.
Before running, I was unsure if I should get involved in politics, because I was sick and tired of ineffective career politicians — so I had a conversation with former Congressman Jim Greenwood who encouraged me to take the leap.
READ: Bucks County Democrats Prove ‘All Politics Is Local’ With Sweeping Election Wins
I connected with the Mikie Sherrill campaign in New Jersey during the Spring of 2025 and was introduced to her staff — including her 2018 campaign manager and 2025 multimedia team — whose partner was the former Executive Director of the DCCC. They decided to get involved with my campaign because they believe there needs to be a change to the status quo of politics.
Then veterans of campaigns for Senator Chris Murphy (CT), Governor Wes Moore (MD), and Senator Tim Kaine (VA) got involved. These are lifelong Democrats who believe in shaking up a broken system. They see what I see: that the only way to change Washington is to change the type of people we send there.
Unlike Ms. Zolfo’s “circumstantial” piece, everything behind this door is true.
So, which door do you prefer — the one guarded by political insiders, or the one opened by the people?
This column expresses the views of its author, separate from those of this publication.
