Born and raised in Bristol Borough, Harvie is a lifelong Bucks County resident. Along with Commissioner Diane Ellis-Marseglia, Harvie flipped the county board of commissioners to Democratic control in 2019 for the first time in nearly four decades.
Simonelli, a Lansdale native, holds a doctorate from the University of Maryland. She was previously a scientific advisor in the U.S. Senate. Her campaign focused on providing universal healthcare, tackling corporate greed and taxing the ultra-wealthy.
Harvie launched his congressional campaign in April 2025. At the time, state Sen. Steve Santarsiero, chair of the Bucks County Democratic Committee, told WHYY News that Harvie “has a real chance to win.”
Simonelli and a host of candidates challenging Harvie in the Democratic primary criticized the county Democratic Committee’s decision to endorse Harvie before the March 10 deadline to get on the ballot.
Fitzpatrick has often sought to distance himself from Trump, but has faced attacks from Democrats for consistently siding with the Republican Party on critical legislation.
On the first round of voting for the Trump administration’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” last year, Fitzpatrick voted to advance the legislation to the Senate. When the bill came back to the House, he voted “no”, he said, because of amendments on Medicaid the Senate had added.