Bob Harvie and Lucia Simonelli are facing off in the May 19 Democratic primary in a bid to unseat Republican incumbent Brian Fitzpatrick in November and represent Pennsylvania’s first congressional district.
Fitzpatrick, who often touts a commitment to bipartisanship, is running unopposed in the Republican primary. He was first elected to the U.S. Congress in 2016, to represent the eighth congressional district. After the state’s congressional districts were redrawn in 2018, Fitzpatrick was reelected to represent what is now the 1st congressional district.
In 2018, Scott Wallace came the closest of any Democratic candidate to unseating Fitzpatrick, capturing 48.7% of the vote. Ashley Ehasz was the Democratic candidate challenging Fitzpatrick in both 2022 and 2024, and was defeated both times.
This fall, Democrats are aiming to flip this and three other seats in Pennsylvania to take control of the House.
Only registered Democrats can vote in the Democratic primary on May 19. Polls will be open on Election Day from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. The last day to register to vote is May 4, and the deadline to request a mail ballot is May 12.
Bucks County’s 1st Congressional District: What to know about the U.S. House seat
The district encompasses Bucks County and parts of Montgomery County.
Every member of the U.S. House of Representatives is elected to a two-year term, and the number of representatives in each state is proportional to the state’s population.
Legislators in the House introduce and vote on legislation, serve on committees, represent their districts and provide oversight to the executive branch, among other duties.
Who is Bob Harvie?
Currently the vice chair of the Bucks County Board of Commissioners, Bob Harvie launched his congressional campaign a year ago.
Born in Bristol Borough, Bucks County, Harvie spent more than two decades as a high school social studies teacher before jumping into politics, first as a member of the planning commission and then as a supervisor in Falls Township.
In 2019, he and Commissioner Diane Ellis-Marseglia won seats on the county board of commissioners, giving it a Democratic majority for the first time in nearly 40 years.
At a town hall in Horsham in July 2025, Harvie challenged Fitzpatrick’s bipartisanship claims and touted his own record of working across the aisle as commissioner in a county that Trump narrowly carried in the 2024 elections.
“I’m committed to working for the people of this district, whether they vote for me or not,” Harvie told WHYY News at the forum last summer. “My job is to try and make their lives better. My job is to try and make sure they have a chance to achieve the American dream and to rebuild the middle-class and the working-class in this country, because right now they’re angry that they’re being left behind.”
What are Bob Harvie’s priorities?
Harvie is focused on pocketbook and affordability issues, per his campaign website, including raising the federal minimum wage, supporting union workers, repealing the Trump administration’s tariffs, boosting small businesses and codifying tax relief for the middle class.
Other priorities include:
Improving roads, infrastructure
Addressing the housing shortage crisis
Investing more in education, from early childhood through career training and college
Expanding affordable health care
Campaign finance reform
Public safety, including increasing funding for local law enforcement and restoring cybersecurity funding at the national level
Increased support for veterans
Who has endorsed Bob Harvie?
Much of the Democratic establishment endorsed Harvie before the March 10 deadline to get on the ballot, a move some Democratic candidates criticized.
State Sen. Steve Santarsiero, chair of the Bucks County Democratic Committee, which has endorsed Harvie, told WHYY News last year that Harvie has “a real chance to win.”
“A Democratic majority in the U.S. House runs through the 1st District, and I think that is a compelling reason that many voters will have in voting for Bob,” he said.
In addition to the Bucks County Democratic Committee, Harvie’s endorsements include:
The Montgomery County Democratic Committee
U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean
U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio
U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon
Former U.S. Rep Matt Cartwright
Bucks County Democratic Chair Sen. Steve Santarsiero
Montgomery County Democratic Chair Jason Salus
Bucks County Commissioner Diane Ellis-Marseglia
Montgomery County Commissioners Neil Makihja and Jamila Winder
Bucks District Attorney Joe Khan
Bucks County Sheriff Danny Ceisler
Montgomery County Sheriff Sean Kilkenny
Transport Workers Union Local 234
Voter Protection Project
Every Democratic member of the state Senate and state House delegation representing PA-01