Brian Fitzpatrick thinks Josh Shapiro will win reelection and should run for president

As speculation builds about a 2028 presidential bid by Democratic Gov. Shapiro, a Pennsylvania swing-district Republican has already thrown his support behind those potential aspirations.

U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R., Bucks), in an interview with Punchbowl News published Thursday, said he thinks Shapiro will win his reelection contest this fall and that he should run for president.

Shapiro is “a good man, and he’s a friend,” Fitzpatrick said.

“I think anybody that wants to run should run,” said Fitzpatrick, who is also up for reelection this year. “I think Josh is very, very smart.”

The Bucks County Republican’s praise of the Democratic governor could be a blow to Treasurer Stacy Garrity, the likely Republican challenger who will need a strong performance in Fitzpatrick’s home county.

But the comments also underscore Shapiro’s popularity in Pennsylvania and highlight the political benefit for Fitzpatrick to play up his cross-aisle friendship in what is expected to be a tough year for Republicans.

Fitzpatrick will likely need support from Shapiro voters to hold onto his seat in the purple 1st Congressional District, which could help determine control of the U.S. House.

Shapiro is expected to endorse Fitzpatrick’s likely November Democratic opponent, Bucks County Commissioner Bob Harvie, in the coming days, according to two sources familiar with the Harvie campaign.

But the incumbent GOP lawmaker is hoping the Democratic governor will attend his upcoming wedding with Fox News White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich.

“I have a really good relationship with him. I invited him to my wedding, I hope he comes,” Fitzpatrick said of Shapiro. “And I think he’s done a really, really good job for Pennsylvania. And I think, you know, every party’s got their unique politics, and I hope that that doesn’t stop him from doing what he wants to do.”

Thursday’s interview covered a wide array of topics, including Bryce Harper’s performance on the Phillies and his time with the Washington Nationals (Fitzpatrick arrived to the Punchbowl interview wearing a Flyers jersey and holding a Harper one).

Fitzpatrick also discussed the war in Iran, government shutdowns, potential U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement reforms, and his vote against renewing a section of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that would allow the government to wiretap individuals.

But the Republican also spent much of the discussion railing against partisan politics, saying he feels most at home within the Bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, which he co-chairs, and that he would become a registered independent voter if not for Pennsylvania’s closed primary system.

His frustration with closed primaries also manifested in his criticism of public discourse surrounding U.S. Sen. John Fetterman (D., Pa.), who Fitzpatrick called a “good, effective senator.”

Fetterman is frequently lambasted by members of his party for voting with Republicans on certain issues, and political observers have questioned whether he can win the party’s nomination again for his 2028 reelection based on his poor approval ratings with Pennsylvania Democrats.

“So when people criticize John Fetterman, I get very upset about it, because I really disdain — and I try my best to work with everybody — I have real disdain for ideologues and partisans," Fitzpatrick said. “It is so ignorant to subscribe to a party.”

Fitzpatrick also noted that he votes with his district in mind, occasionally differing with Republican leadership in the House and President Donald Trump. (He has been called out by Trump by name and is the only incumbent Republican in the delegation the president has not yet endorsed for 2026).

“What I try to do with every piece of legislation is look at it in totality, and is it a net positive or net negative for a district? That is it,” Fitzpatrick said. “I don’t care what party, what president, what party leader supports it or opposes it, we try to take that out of the equation.”

But Democrats working to unseat Fitzpatrick called the incumbent’s statements misleading. A spokesperson for the Harvie campaign noted that House Speaker Mike Johnson, a close ally of Trump, headlined a fundraiser for Fitzpatrick this month.

“Bob Harvie intends to hold Brian Fitzpatrick accountable for saying one thing in Bucks County, and then cozying up to Donald Trump in Washington,” the spokesperson said.

Democrats believe all variables are working in their favor for Harvie, given the commissioner’s deep roots in the county, the plummeting popularity of Trump and the Republican Party, and Shapiro’s presence on the ballot.

Fitzpatrick, however, remains a formidable opponent with a massive war chest, extensive name recognition, and a history of overperforming the rest of his party in the district.

The lawmaker said that he learned from his late brother, former U.S. Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick, who used to represent the area, that the key to connecting with voters is having a physical presence in the community.

“It’s very basic, just hear [constituents] out, reflect their voice on the floor, not your personal voice, but their voice on the floor,” Fitzpatrick said. “And you know, you just have a bond. And I feel like we have that in our district.”