In the battle for Pennsylvania’s First Congressional District, Republican incumbent Brian Fitzpatrick will face Democrat Ashley Ehasz in the November general election after both secured their respective party nominations.
Fitzpatrick, a four-term member of Congress from Middletown Township, was projected to defeat GOP primary challenger Mark Houck.
The National Republican Congressional Committee congratulated Fitzpatrick and said Democrats had “no chance of beating” the incumbent.
Fitzpatrick entered the primary with a campaign war chest of $3.6 million. Houck, an anti-abortion activist from Haycock Township, trailed significantly with just over $11,000 in funding.
On the Democratic side, Ehasz, a U.S. Army veteran and two-time candidate from Bensalem Township, won her party’s nod, as she was unopposed. She previously lost to Fitzpatrick by nearly 10 percentage points in the 2022 election.
Credit: Tom Sofield/NewtownPANow.com
“It is an honor to have earned your vote and I am grateful to have the opportunity to unseat Brian Fitzpatrick so that Pennsylvania’s 1st Congressional District can finally have a representative who will fight for their fundamental freedoms,” Ehasz said.
Democratic House Majority Political Action Committee spokesperson Alisha Heng said: “Ehasz will advocate for Pennsylvanians first, and House Majority PAC looks forward to Ashley Ehasz flipping PA-01 blue.”
The primary saw a heated race between Fitzpatrick and Houck. Fitzpatrick’s campaign ran ads labeling Houck a “porn addict,” “con artist,” and “narcissist,” highlighting Houck’s past arrest outside a strip club and questioning the handling of funds raised for his legal defenses. Houck defended his actions and financial integrity in a statement, stressing his work against the pornography industry and clarifying that the $400,000 raised is managed through a trust.
Fitzpatrick, who has served since 2016, positions himself as a moderate Republican.
Credit: Tom Sofield/NewtownPANow.com
The congressman has broken with his party at times, which has angered some conservative members of his party.
Fitzpatrick voted against the impeachment of former President Donald Trump and condemned the January 6 attack on the Capitol.
The congressman was endorsed by Trump in 2020.
Last year, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee put Fitzpatrick on a list of candidates they will work to defeat this year.
The First Congressional District, a key battleground that covers all of Bucks County and part of Montgomery County, is considered a bellwether district. President Joe Biden won the district in the 2020 presidential election.
