HARRISBURG — Democrats are showing that they think they can beat second-term Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick in a politically divided U.S. House district just north of Philadelphia.
The major Democratic super PAC helping elect Democrats to the House filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission that it is spending nearly $1 million on digital and TV advertising in an effort to oust Fitzpatrick.
The spending by the House Majority PAC is by far the most substantial investment in the race to help Democrat Christina Finello, who was a top official in Bucks County’s Division of Housing and Human Services before she ran for Congress.
Fitzpatrick, a former FBI agent who succeeded his brother in the seat, is one of just three House Republicans in the entire country running for reelection in a district won by Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016’s presidential contest.
Fitzpatrick won 2018’s election by 2.5 percentage points in 2018, when he was outspent nearly four-to-one by his wealthy Democratic rival and millions flowed in from outside groups.
While Fitzpatrick has marketed himself as being independent of President Donald Trump, the House Majority PAC ad ties Fitzpatrick to Trump’s agenda and accuses Fitzpatrick of doing nothing when Trump “killed” more aid for bipartisan coronavirus relief.
Fitzpatrick voted with every other Republican against a $2.2 trillion relief bill that passed the Democratic-controlled House on Oct. 1, and has stalled in the Republican-controlled Senate.
