Bob Harvie ousts Brian Fitzpatrick in Bucks County, flipping a House seat Republicans have held for over a decade

Democratic County Commissioner Bob Harvie has defeated Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick in Bucks County’s 1st Congressional District, The Associated Press projected — a monumental outcome in one of the most closely watched races in the country.

Harvie’s victory is seismic and marks the first time that a Democrat will represent Bucks County in Congress since 2011. Fitzpatrick is a five-term incumbent who has survived multiple blue waves in the past, touted enormous fundraising numbers and decades worth of family-name recognition, and has historically been able to score support from across the political spectrum.

Running against one of the toughest incumbents in the country, Harvie, 55, had a lot of ground to cover as he lagged in fundraising and name recognition in comparison. But his momentum came in the homestretch, powered by three visits from popular Gov. Josh Shapiro, increased spending and attention from the national party, and a political climate fostered by President Donald Trump that has shown to be extremely toxic for Republicans on the ballot this year.

“I was a Republican all my life, but this is the first time I went full Democrat,” said Dolores Hatton, 82, of Levittown, who listed the economy and cost of living among her chief concerns.

The 1st Congressional District, which includes all of Bucks County and a part of Montgomery County, was one of four congressional races heavily targeted by both parties as they battled for control of the U.S. House.

In an October Inquirer/New York Times/Siena University poll, Harvie was narrowly leading Fitzpatrick in the margin of error, a practically unthinkable prospect in years past. Democrats have worked to unseat Fitzpatrick for the better part of the past decade, but voters across the political spectrum in Bucks County — one of the swingiest parts of Pennsylvania — routinely decided to keep the Republican around.

Harvie joined fellow Democrats on election night at Rafters, a 10,000-square-foot venue in Newtown, which often hosts weddings. Supporters backed the rustic-style event space — mingling with friends, eating pizza, and sipping drinks as they watched the election returns projected up on a wall.

The celebrations for Harvie stretched past midnight with Democratic supporters anxiously awaiting for their chosen candidate to speak. Even after the Democrat delivered a rousing victory speech (before AP had officially called it) some voters, volunteers, staffers, and Harvie himself were still mingling in the Newtown event space riding the wave of their adrenaline and excitement.

“I’m gonna keep leaning on you,” Harvie told the crowd. “As we should all lean on each other and we need to lift each other up.”

He pulled off the win as he focused his campaign message largely on affordability and achieving the “American Dream,” as the cost of living continues to take priority over any other issue for voters. Though Democrats have sought to tie Fitzpatrick to Trump in the past, this year it finally seemed to succeed for Harvie and allies who also worked to poke holes in the lawmaker’s moderate brand by painting him as an enabler of the president’s policies.

Jacquie Shafer, 44, a teacher from Langhorne, does not typically vote in midterms but she cast her ballot for Harvie Tuesday and said cost-of-living issues prompted her to support a “straight blue” ballot.

“You make this living and you think you’re doing well, and suddenly you’re strapped,” said Shafer, who says she’s now having to decide whether her kids can do extracurriculars or if the money could be better used elsewhere. “[Our family] has two kids, two working adults, and it’s still really, really stressful.”

The Democrat is born and raised in Lower Bucks County, meaning he was able to lean into his roots growing up in populous neighborhoods on the campaign trail, particularly his 20 years teaching social studies at Bucks County Technical High School. He is also the first Fitzpatrick challenger to have won countywide office giving him slightly more familiarity among voters than previous candidates.

After serving as a Falls Township supervisor, Harvie won a seat on the board of the Bucks County Commissioners in 2019 and 2023, the latter of which marked the first time since the Civil War that Democrats held onto the majority party for two consecutive terms.

Harvie’s background gave him some familiarity with voters. Evan Jeronis, a 27-year-old Langhorne resident who works in IT and voted for the Democrat, said he attended Bucks County Technical High School while Harvie was teaching there and heard about his good reputation as an educator.

“I never had him myself,” Jeronis said, “but everyone I know that ever had him … loved him.”

Harvie was also able to overcome several ubiquitous lines of attacks from Fitzpatrick, who ran a far more public and expensive campaign than in years past. The contentious election cycle saw early jabs being thrown and dueling debate challenges that ultimately crashed and burned. The most prominently of which focused on Fitzpatrick, a former FBI agent, calling the Democrat the “subject” of a bureau investigation.

Harvie and lawyers have said the commissioner has never been under investigation and sued a super PAC supporting Fitzpatrick for defamation. That case is still ongoing.

Adding to the combative vibe of the matchup, Fitzpatrick sued last week to remove Democratic County Commissioner Diane Ellis-Marseglia — a friend, colleague, and supporter of Harvie — from the county Board of Elections, alleging her bias against the Republican presents a conflict of interest.

A judge rejected that bid on Monday.

Staff Writer Dugan Arnett contributed reporting.