Bob Harvie is a lifelong Bucks County resident, former public school teacher, and current Bucks County Commissioner running for Pennsylvania’s 1st Congressional District. Born and raised in Bristol Borough, Harvie spent 26 years in the classroom, primarily at Bucks County Technical High School, before moving into county leadership. As a Commissioner, he has overseen a billion-dollar budget and focused on election integrity and local infrastructure. Now residing in Falls Township, his campaign for Congress is built on his record of local bipartisan governance, aiming to bring a pragmatic, middle-class perspective to Washington.
At the Bucks County Beacon, we believe informed voters are the bedrock of democracy. We asked every candidate in the PA-01 primary to clarify their positions on the issues that matter most to our community. Below are their unedited submissions. Most questions included a multiple choice answer, with the choices being Yes, No, or Other/Neutral, along with an explanation for the stance.
Candidate has not yet submitted responses to the 2026 Democratic Primary Questionnaire.
After attending Monday’s event, 22-year-old Newtown resident Alexa Schnur questions whether electing a moderate Democrat is the best chance of winning in November.
“Why hasn’t BCDC promoted weekly public forums with Bob and Lucia all over Bucks County since they became official candidates back in March?” asks Steve Cickay.
Sarah Baik believes it’s time to put the small “d” democratic back in the big “D” Democratic primaries.
“Protecting our environment and parks and recreation system should be important to everyone who lives in Bucks County – and in the state of Pennsylvania,” said Republican County Commissioner Gene DiGirolamo.
Harvie continues making the case to voters about why he is best suited to beat Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick in November’s midterm election.
“It’s time for Brian Fitzpatrick to put up or shut up,” said Harvie, who is seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge Fitzpatrick in Pennsylvania’s First Congressional District.
Lt. Gov. Austin Davis announced the endorsement on Wednesday citing Harvie’s strong record of bipartisan leadership and his lifelong commitment to standing up for working families.
This grassroots approach is in sharp contrast to incumbent Republican Brian Fitzpatrick, who has not held a public, in-person town hall in years and even refused to debate his opponent in 2024.
According to the poll conducted between Oct. 10-11, “Trump fatigue” was setting in for PA-01 voters and “the unpopularity of Trump and the national GOP brand [was] splashing onto Fitzpatrick.”
“Bucks and Montgomery [county] families are opening letters right now warning them their health care premiums are about to skyrocket, and Brian Fitzpatrick is squarely to blame,” said Harvie, a Bucks County Commissioner and PA-01 congressional candidate.
Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti, 45, is viewed by party operatives as a rising star in Pennsylvania. She will try to unseat Republican freshman Rep. Rob Bresnahan.
“On the one hand, I’m glad that the Senate Republicans have finally acknowledged that this is an issue and that they thought that they had to in fact move a bill, but unfortunately the bill that they moved is not a solution,” said State Sen. Steve Santarsiero.
She is the first Member of Congress from Pennsylvania to endorse Harvie’s campaign to flip PA-01 and unseat Republican incumbent Brian Fitzpatrick.
The uncertainty around the Trump administration’s tariff strategy “is creating havoc” for Warminster-based Gamry Instruments.
“I commend the commissioners for standing up for the rule of law, and calling [Sheriff] Fred Harran out on his half-baked scheme to use county resources to do ICE’s deportation work,” said Democratic Sheriff candidate Danny Ceisler.
An interactive tool provided by the Committee of Seventy in collaboration with the Bucks County Beacon.
An interactive tool provided by the Committee of Seventy in collaboration with the Bucks County Beacon.
