Bob Harvie said he doesn’t support open primaries. Brian Fitzpatrick calls it an ‘insult to Independent voters’

Tensions have already started boiling over in Pennsylvania’s 1st Congressional District as U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R., Bucks) threw an early jab at his likely Democratic challenger Tuesday evening.

Almost six months out from November’s race to represent the swing district, Fitzpatrick sharply criticized Bucks County Commissioner Bob Harvie’s opposition to open primaries, which the commissioner detailed in response to a question during a Democratic candidate forum on Monday night ahead of the May 19 primary.

Pennsylvania is a closed primary state, which means that registered unaffiliated voters cannot vote in political parties’ primary elections, though there have recent legal efforts to change that.

“I feel if you want to have a say in what that party is doing and who those leaders are, you should join the party,” Harvie, who has also chaired the county Board of Elections, said as part of his response to a question whether the candidates support enacting open primaries.

The Republican incumbent said in a statement Tuesday evening that Harvie’s comments about open primaries “crossed a line that cannot be ignored,” are an “insult to Independent voters” in the community, and further cultivate political divisiveness.

Unaffiliated voters will be crucial to determining the outcome of the 1st Congressional District race, where Republicans have a narrow voter registration advantage over Democrats. The swing district includes all of Bucks County and a sliver of Montgomery County.

Pennsylvania is one of eight states with fully closed primaries, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. As of 2024, there are 1.4 million registered unaffiliated voters in Pennsylvania, according to Department of State data.

“Anyone who is in public service for the right reasons should support the basic principle behind open primaries: democracy is stronger when more citizens have a voice—not when party machines decide who gets one,” Fitzpatrick said.

The blowup comes after the Republican said in an interview with Punchbowl News last week that he, too, would become a registered independent if not for Pennsylvania’s closed primary system.

Harvie, in a statement to The Inquirer Wednesday, pushed back on Fitzpatrick aligning himself with unaffiliated voters, noting the Republican’s support from his party, including House Speaker Mike Johnson’s recent fundraiser on his behalf.

“The reason Fitzpatrick is lobbing these desperate political attacks is because after nearly 10 years in Washington, he can’t defend his own cost-spiking, health care slashing record,” Harvie said.

The back-and-forth between Fitzpatrick and Harvie comes as Fitzpatrick’s party is taking steps to preserve the state’s closed primary system.

The Republican National Committee and the Pennsylvania Republican Party detailed their support for the current system earlier this month in legal filings related to a suit filed in December by SiriusXM host Michael Smerconish and good-government advocate David Thornburgh, who are seeking to invalidate Pennsylvania’s closed primary system.

The Republican groups said in their request to join the case that “Party association is an essential aspect of our democratic process, and this form of association has long been recognized to enjoy constitutional protection.”

In his statement Tuesday evening, Fitzpatrick lauded Harvie’s Democratic primary opponent, Lucia Simonelli, a grassroots candidate and climate policy expert, for her support for open primaries. She said during the forum: “I believe very much in voting on issues. I don’t believe that we have to always be part of one party or another party or vote on party lines.”

“She was right, and I applaud her,” Fitzpatrick said.

Until now, Fitzpatrick had mostly allowed surrogates to attack Harvie rather than engaging with the Democratic commissioner directly, but the Republican’s decision to go on the offensive is a sign that the general election this fall could be cantankerous as both parties vie for the seat that could determine control of the House.

Fitzpatrick has curated a moderate image that has garnered support across the purple district he has represented for the past decade. He also outperforms his party, boasts a massive fundraising operation, and has extensive name recognition.

But the local Democratic parties, who are backing Harvie, say the commissioner has been their strongest chance yet to unseating Fitzpatrick — pointing to the Democrat’s countywide electoral victories, messaging, and homegrown roots.

Harvie said Wednesday that Fitzpatrick “has fallen out of touch” with the district, but the Republican is sticking to his playbook as November approaches.

“I do not serve the partisan machine. I serve the people,” Fitzpatrick said Tuesday. “And my fight will always be for more voices, wider doors, and a government that belongs to the people, not the parties.”

Staff Writer Abraham Gutman contributed to this story.