Bob Harvie touts Bucks roots, bipartisan achievements while attacking Brian Fitzpatrick’s voting record at Horsham town hall

From Delco to Chesco and Montco to Bucks, what about life in Philly’s suburbs do you want WHYY News to cover? Let us know!

At a town hall in Horsham on Thursday night, Bucks County Commissioner and congressional candidate Bob Harvie pitched himself to Montgomery County constituents and criticized Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick for his record.

Harvie, who announced his candidacy for Pennsylvania’s first congressional district in April, has served as Bucks County commissioner since 2020. He told WHYY News before the town hall the event was an opportunity to hear from the Montgomery County voters who make up roughly 10% of the constituents in Pennsylvania’s first congressional district.

“I hope they understand … that I’m committed to working for the people of this district, whether they vote for me or not, whether they’re Democrat, Republican or independent,” Harvie said. “My job is to try and make their lives better. My job is to try and make sure they have a chance to achieve the American dream and to rebuild the middle-class and the working-class in this country, because right now they’re angry that they’re being left behind, and certainly this new budget bill does not help them. And Brian Fitzpatrick had a chance to stop it, had a chance to make it better, and he failed at that task.”

Fitzpatrick was one of two House Republicans who voted against President Donald Trump’s  budget bill last week. However, Harvie and other critics have highlighted the fact that Fitzpatrick voted for the bill in the first round back in May.

Fitzpatrick did not respond to WHYY News’ request for comment. In a statement last week, he attributed his changed vote to the U.S. Senate’s amendments.

“The original House language was written in a way that protected our community; the Senate amendments fell short of our standard,” he said. “I believe in, and will always fight for, policies that are thoughtful, compassionate, and good for our community. It is this standard that will always guide my legislative decisions.”

Fitzpatrick, who has described himself as a “centrist,” has maintained his hold on the district, which encompasses Bucks County and parts of Montgomery County, since 2017.

Harvie challenged his record.

“He claims to be bipartisan, but in reality, he does what’s best for him and what’s best for the donors who fill his campaign coffers and the party that pulls the strings on him,” he told WHYY News. “I have an over 90% bipartisan voting record as a county commissioner in Bucks. We came in and turned that county blue in 2019, we faced real challenges left behind by the almost 40 years of control by Republicans. We put in a lot of reforms addressing real issues that affect people in our county, and we’ve done it again in a bipartisan way, an actual bipartisan way.”

Horsham town hall attendees signal support for Harvie

On Thursday, Harvie, who was born and raised in Bristol, touted his local roots and his experiences winning five elections in one of the state’s most purple counties before the crowd of more than 100 people. He often referenced the more than two decades he spent as a high school social studies teacher in public schools before entering politics.

Harvie fielded a number of unscreened questions and concerns from the crowd, touching on immigration, LGBTQ rights, foreign affairs, impacts from the recently passed budget bill and the housing crisis.

Jefferson Fox, 23, an educator from Quakertown, asked Harvie how he would advocate for younger generations of voters, many of whom are disillusioned with the Democratic Party.

Fox said after the event he was satisfied with Harvie’s response, and plans to vote for him in 2026.

“I really liked, actually, what Commissioner Harvie said … about being someone that’s willing to listen and someone that’s willing to learn from people of all walks of life, age, gender, race, you name it,” Fox said. “He talked about how no politician is going to see completely eye to eye with you and all of your beliefs and all of your political ideologies, but I think that he really did, I think do a great job of listening to the all of the responses and questions from the crowd, because obviously it was not a scripted event.”

Karen McLeer, 62, a dental hygienist from Ambler, said she did not know anything about Harvie before the event, but was “very impressed” by what he shared.

“I’m not happy at all with the way things are going with the country under Republican leadership, and I think that it would really move us in the right direction if he wins the election,” she said.

For town hall attendee Rich Gardner, 65, of Horsham, Harvie is an “impressive candidate,” but whether or not he’ll be able to succeed where other Democrats have failed remains to be seen.

“The problem with Fitzpatrick is the same as that with Maine’s Senator Susan Collins,” he said. “She’ll be with you on the small, unimportant issues. When it comes to the important ones, her bosses say, here’s what you’ll vote. ‘Yes, sir.’ Fitzpatrick is the same way. He’ll be with us on the small, unimportant issues, the few symbolic things he’ll do a liberal vote, but when it comes to something important, here’s the true vote, right?”

Fitzpatrick’s hold on Pennsylvania’s 1st Congressional District

As he did in May at a town hall with Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., Harvie and state Rep. Melissa Cerrato called out Fitzpatrick for not holding town halls.

Harvie and one attendee referenced a moniker some people have given to the representative: “Facebook Fitz.” Cerrato, who said she has never met Fitzpatrick in person, praised Harvie for meeting directly with voters throughout the district.

“He’s going community to community opening up,” Cerrato said. “There is no screening. Any one of you can ask any question. He doesn’t know what’s coming tonight, but he’s here. He’s ready to answer. He’s ready to respectfully disagree at times, but he’s ready to be honest with you. He’s ready to talk to you about why it’s important.”

Some conservatives have also hinted that Fitzpatrick could be challenged in the primary.

Conservative activist Scott Pressler said in a post on X that he and other like-minded conservatives “are keeping a list & checking it twice of every Republican that does NOT support President Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill — peacefully.”

Fitzpatrick defeated anti-abortion activist Mark Houck in a primary challenge in 2024, and bested Democratic challenger Ashley Ehasz in the general election, winning by more than 10 percentage points.

According to a press release Thursday, Fitzpatrick raised $1.3 million for his campaign in the second quarter of the year, the highest Q2 total in the district’s history.

“This record-breaking support is more than a vote of confidence—it’s a call to keep building bridges, pushing forward, and delivering real results for the people of PA-1,” Fitzpatrick said in a statement. “And that’s exactly what I intend to do.”