Ashley Ehasz is running against Brian Fitzpatrick in the general election

In the battle for Pennsylvania’s First Congressional District, Republican incumbent Brian Fitzpatrick will face Democrat Ashley Ehasz in the November general election after both secured their respective party nominations.

Fitzpatrick, a four-term congressman from Middletown Township, was expected to defeat GOP primary challenger Mark Houck.

The National Republican Congressional Committee congratulated Fitzpatrick and said Democrats had “no chance of defeating the incumbent president.”

Fitzpatrick entered the primary with a war chest of $3.6 million. Houck, an anti-abortion activist from Haycock Township, lagged significantly with just over $11,000 in funding.

On the Democratic side, Ehasz, a U.S. Army veteran and two-time candidate from Bensalem Township, won her party’s endorsement as she ran unopposed. She previously lost to Fitzpatrick by nearly 10 percentage points in the 2022 election.

“It is an honor to have earned your vote and I am grateful for the opportunity to unseat Brian Fitzpatrick so that Pennsylvania’s 1st Congressional District can finally have a representative who will fight for their fundamental freedoms,” Ehasz said.

Democratic House Majority Political Action Committee spokesperson Alisha Heng said, “Ehasz will advocate for Pennsylvanians first, and House Majority PAC looks forward to Ashley Ehasz turning PA-01 blue.”

The primaries saw a heated race between Fitzpatrick and Houck. Fitzpatrick’s campaign ran ads that labeled Houck a “porn addict,” “con artist” and “narcissist,” highlighting Houck’s previous arrest outside a strip club and questioning the handling of money raised for his legal defense. Houck defended his actions and financial integrity in a statement, highlighting his work against the porn industry and clarifying that the $400,000 raised is managed through a trust.

Fitzpatrick, who has been in office since 2016, positions himself as a moderate Republican.

The congressman has occasionally broken with his party, angering some conservative members of his party.

Fitzpatrick voted against the impeachment of former President Donald Trump and condemned the January 6 attack on the Capitol.

The congressman was endorsed by Trump in 2020.

Last year, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee included Fitzpatrick on a list of candidates they will try to defeat this year.

The First Congressional District, a key battleground covering all of Bucks County and part of Montgomery County, is considered a key district. President Joe Biden won the district in the 2020 presidential election.

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