Trump Rebuffs Fitzpatrick: A Possible Boon in a Purple District?

Democrats swept the Bucks County municipal election this month – despite the Republican lead of more than 10,000 registered voters.

Fitzpatrick earned the president’s ire by voting against his signature Big Beautiful Bill. At the time, Fitzpatrick said he opposed cuts to Medicaid.

He released this statement: “I voted to strengthen Medicaid protections and increase Medicaid spending, to permanently extend middle-class tax cuts, for enhanced small business tax relief, and for historic investments in our border security and our military. However, it was the Senate’s amendments to Medicaid, in addition to several other Senate provisions, that altered the analysis for our PA-1 community.”

Some pundits believe that Fitzpatrick may benefit from Trump’s slight.

“Trump’s endorsement of the incumbent members of Congress will help each of them in their individual districts,” said Republican strategist Charlie Gerow.  “His non-endorsement of Brian Fitzpatrick would be a killer in most Republican districts, but not likely in this one. It may actually help Fitzpatrick as he tries to gently distance himself from Trump without losing more of his conservative base.”

“I think that Congressman Fitzpatrick is probably quite pleased to not have an endorsement from President Trump heading into the 2026 midterms,” said Muhlenberg College political science Professor Christopher Borick.  “In a district like PA1, and in a cycle that is usually tough on the president's party, being tied to a president whose approval rating is sagging does not sound very appealing.  Democrats are going to try and make that connection next year, and having some distance from Trump is probably an asset for Fitzpatrick. The only place where Trump's blessing would help Fitzpatrick would be in a GOP primary, and that's not a concern for Fitzpatrick.”

Indeed, in 2024, Fitzpatrick handily beat a rightwing challenger.

Fitzpatrick, who co-chairs the Problem Solvers Caucus, was named the most bipartisan member of Congress by The Hill in 2024.  The former FBI agent was first elected in 2016.

However, Fitzpatrick is facing a polished and experienced Democrat in 2026: Bucks County Commissioner Bob Harvie Jr. Though Harvie has two relatively unknown challengers in the primary, he is most likely to be the Democrats’ nominee.

And the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is gunning for Fitzpatrick. Politico reported that the Democrats have spent between $62,000 – $160,000 on digital ads in his district so far this year.  But Guy Ciarrocchi, who writes for RealClearPennsylvania, believes Fitzpatrick will prevail.

 “No elected official is more trusted to do the right thing than Brian Fitzpatrick,” said Ciarrocchi. “He’s an independent, commonsense Republican who runs on his own record – and wins because of the endorsement of his constituents.”

Borick said while Republican registration gains are helpful, they haven’t translated to wins at the ballot box – yet.

“The Republican gains in registered voters remain a very positive trend for the GOP, but it doesn't guarantee positive election results,” said Borick. “Democrats had possessed enormous registration advantages for years and, in off-year elections, often struggled badly. The reality is that many of the Republican gains in registered voters have come amongst voters that may not always turn out, and thus, there may be cycles where the registration success doesn't translate into electoral success.”

Will those new GOPers turn out for Fitzpatrick next year?  Stay tuned.

Linda Stein is a Philadelphia-area freelance writer.