GOP congressman in swing district suddenly declares: 'I am an independent'

After nearly a decade in Congress as a Republican, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick is leaning hard on a different label as he fights for survival in a swing district.

“I am an independent who is registered Republican,” Fitzpatrick told The Washington Sun, which profiled his reelection battle in Pennsylvania’s 1st Congressional District.

While he has always cultivated a moderate image, Fitzpatrick went further when asked about his place in the GOP. “I’m a registered Republican. There’s a difference,” he said, adding that if Pennsylvania allowed independents to participate in party primaries, he would leave the GOP and register as an independent.

“Right now, I’m homeless,” he said.

The comments come as Fitzpatrick faces Democrat Bob Harvie in a district that President Donald Trump lost in 2016, 2020 and 2024. Despite that terrain, Fitzpatrick has repeatedly survived, with his closest race coming in 2018, when he won by just over 2.5 percentage points.

The Washington Sun reported that Fitzpatrick is now running a more aggressive campaign than in past cycles, spending millions on negative advertising against Harvie while presenting himself as the same independent-minded Republican voters have known for years.

“I personally feel very, very close to my district,” Fitzpatrick said. “I’m more present than him by a factor of 10.”

Harvie is trying to puncture that image by tying Fitzpatrick to Trump and the Republican leadership. His campaign has highlighted Fitzpatrick’s vote for an initial version of Trump’s policy bill and a procedural vote that delayed release of the Epstein files.

“He’s hiding from his record, and we’re not going to let him hide from his record,” Harvie told The Sun.

Fitzpatrick has nevertheless broken with his party on several high-profile issues. An Inquirer analysis published last month found that he has voted with Trump’s stated positions about 70% of the time during the current Congress, less frequently than any other House Republican. He has also supported same-sex marriage, an assault-weapons ban and former President Joe Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure law.

Fitzpatrick said he tries to keep Trump out of his decision-making altogether. “I take him out of the equation,” he told The Sun. The congressman also offered a more nuanced explanation for why he no longer feels at home inside either major party.

“The two parties have become cults,” Fitzpatrick said.

That posture has helped him build an unusual coalition in Bucks County, including endorsements from labor unions and environmental groups that often support Democrats. But Harvie argues that Fitzpatrick’s moderate brand masks important votes with Republicans.

With Pennsylvania Democrats investing in the district, Fitzpatrick’s attempt to separate his political identity from his party may face its most consequential test yet this November.