Former Republican Tracy Hunt switches to Democratic Party to join race against Brian Fitzpatrick

Tracy Hunt, a Bucks County attorney who had been a Republican until June, announced Tuesday that he’ll be running in the Democratic primary to challenge incumbent Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick in the 1st Congressional District in 2026.

Hunt will be up against Bucks County Commissioner Bob Harvie and Buckingham Township resident Rob Strickler for the Democratic nomination next spring in the district, which includes Bucks County and a small part of Montgomery County.

Asked why he switched parties, Hunt, 57, of New Hope, said in an interview Tuesday, “I’d had enough. I have a growing frustration with the Republicans and their direction toward authoritarianism, extremism, and embracing white nationalism.

“I don’t identify with that party anymore.”

Twenty years ago, Hunt said, he believed his values aligned with the Republican Party: fiscal responsibility, strong defense, and allowing individuals to make their own decisions.

Hunt, who also teaches business law at Delaware Valley University in Doylestown, said that if he wanted to do something about his disappointment in the GOP, he’d have to do it as a Democrat.

“They have a big tent,” he said.

Hunt said nothing about his Democratic opponents, but criticized Fitzpatrick for calling himself a moderate but “pushing the [President Donald] Trump agenda more often than not.”

Fitzpatrick was one of two House Republicans (along with Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky) to vote against the final version of Trump’s signature domestic policy package. Fitzpatrick had supported an earlier version of the bill but opposed it after changes by the U.S. Senate.

His campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

» READ MORE: Inside Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick’s vote against the GOP budget bill and the president’s cryptic response

Hunt grew up on the military base in Fort Bragg, N.C., as well as in Fayetteville. His father was a command sergeant major in the Army.

At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he met his wife, Tracy Temby, a former family law attorney and now vice president of Bucks County Community College. They have daughters ages 25 and 24.

“Yes, everyone laughs at our having the same name,” he said.

Stressing that lawmakers should be accountable to their constituents, Hunt said that he demonstrated responsibility himself after making a mistake several years ago.

In 2017, Hunt failed to complete some continuing legal education requirements by a deadline, which led to an administrative suspension in 2018.

Despite his suspension, Hunt was later found to have engaged in unauthorized legal practice because he used stationery with a letterhead that identified him as an attorney. That violated rules of professional conduct, and Hunt agreed to a suspension from practicing law, from October 2020 through May 2021.

“It’s on me for not having finished those required education hours,” Hunt said. “But it could be used as an example to elected officials: Be accountable.”

The National Republican Congressional Committee predicted that the eventual Democratic nominee will emerge from the three-way primary “bruised, penniless, and with no chance against Brian Fitzpatrick.”

But the Democratic candidates are keeping their jabs for Fitzpatrick at the moment.

Harvie, the early front-runner in the Democratic race, did not directly comment on Hunt’s candidacy and instead attacked the incumbent Republican.

“Brian Fitzpatrick is either silent or just rubber-stamps whatever Trump wants,” Harvie said.

And Strickler, a former video game designer and software product manager from Buckingham, said he welcomed Hunt’s entry.

“Let’s have a robust and friendly primary vetting process to ensure the best candidate will face off with and defeat Brian Fitzpatrick in 2026!” Strickler wrote in a statement.