PA-01: A Bucks County election sparks a familiar question: Is Fitzpatrick a moderate?
One political label has been prized for decades in a congressional district just north of Philadelphia. It’s not Republican or Democrat. It’s “moderate.”
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a Republican seeking a third term in the Bucks County-based 1st District, relies on that label, frequently emphasizing his “independent” streak. It’s easy to see why: He’s one of just two congressional Republicans in the country running for reelection in a district carried by Hillary Clinton in 2016.
“Brian Fitzpatrick, ranked No. 1 most independent congressman ever in U.S. history,” declared his first digital ad of the general election campaign.
Moderation can be a sliding scale for voters. Conservative Republicans dismiss Fitzpatrick as a RINO — a Republican In Name Only. Liberals see him as deeply in league with President Donald Trump.
Christina Finello, the Democratic nominee, said Fitzpatrick has been “voting against things people need” to survive the economic devastation of the coronavirus pandemic.
Democrats narrowly outnumber Republicans in the district, a solidly middle-class swath of suburbia that includes part of Montgomery County. And heated debate over whether a Fitzpatrick deserves the moderate tag is familiar ground for local voters, dating back to when his late brother, Mike Fitzpatrick, represented the district.
Whether Brian Fitzpatrick survives what’s likely to be a challenging reelection campaign while Trump continues to repel suburban voters will offer clues about if and how Republicans can hold on to power in the suburbs.
https://www.inquirer.com/politics/pennsylvania/brian-fitzpatrick-christina-finello-bucks-county-pa-moderate-20200815.html?outputType=amp&__twitter_impression=true
