Can Democrats turn Bucks from purple to blue?

The May 19 primary election is around the corner, and all eyes are on federal House and Senate races, the outcome of which could determine the ultimate success of the Trump agenda. Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, who represents all of Bucks County and a portion of Montgomery County, is a moderate, bipartisan Republican who has been repeatedly ranked the most independent member of the House of Representatives.  

Bucks County Commissioner Bob Harvie (D) threw his hat into the ring early, determined to defeat Fitzpatrick, who holds the seat last occupied by his brother, Mike, who succumbed to cancer in 2020. Brian Fitzpatrick has represented PA-01 since 2017 and is a popular vote-getter in the swing district, winning a fifth term in 2024 with 56 percent of the vote. He got 55 percent in 2022 and 57 percent in 2020. And he has a reported war chest of over $7 million. 

But for now Harvie has an opponent all his own, a relative newcomer to Bucks County, Quakertown’s Lucia Simonelli. And it’s interesting that the national Democrats have decided to stay out of the PA-01 primary skirmish. Rank and file Bucks Democrats are not happy about it and are standing behind Harvie, aware of Fitzpatrick’s ability to maneuver between both parties in purple Bucks County, and of his name recognition and fundraising prowess.

Here’s what’s different for Bucks Democrats this year: Usually, they stick together like gum on a shoe; they don’t have primary fights. But Harvie, the royal blue Democrat, has a primary opponent — a nuisance, perhaps, but a drain on the campaign, nevertheless. I must wonder why the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is so certain Fitzpatrick is “vulnerable,” as they recently said, but has taken a hands-off approach in the upcoming primary. Do they think either Harvie or Simonelli can defeat Fitzpatrick?  

Outspoken on climate and environmental issues, Simonelli also emphasizes her “grassroots” campaign — which it is not — but she isn’t showing any financial backing either. Under normal circumstances, I don’t believe either could unseat Fitzpatrick in the general election. And, I stress, under normal circumstances. Simonelli’s entry into the race is anything but normal. She is an active progressive and a member of Indivisible, the left wing, anti-Trump crusade which has organized massive No Kings rallies nationwide and which has received funding from far-left billionaires. Grassroots it is not. (Indivisible Montgomery County has endorsed Simonelli.) 

If I were Bob Harvie and the members of Bucks County’s traditional blue-collar, steelworker Democratic Party, I would worry about the attempted takeover by younger progressives with a fierce anti-Trump enmity, left-wing foundation money, and a socialist agenda that will ultimately fail. This new guard has an eagerness to take down any Democrat that isn’t on board with their agenda. Even with a progressive challenge to their party and our district primary, my guess is that high-level Democrats do not believe Fitzpatrick is vulnerable at all. Some view the radical progressive movement that is chipping its way through the party as a turn-off for many, as it could lead working-class people to reject the leftist elites at the voting booth. 

The average working American cares less about rhetoric and more about solutions. Whoever has the solution to what’s hurting struggling Americans will win. 

Pat Wandling is a veteran journalist, formerly of The Bucks County Courier, and was a mainstay on WBCB for over 20 years.