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“Fitzpatrick may try to pass himself off as a moderate, but when it comes to defending women’s reproductive rights, he falls in line with the most extreme factions of his party. Despite his facade of bipartisanship, he consistently prioritizes the interests of MAGA extremists over the rights of the people he’s supposed to represent. Whether it’s pandering to Donald Trump or supporting measures that aim to criminalize abortion nationwide, Fitzpatrick has repeatedly failed to stand up for his constituents. Southeast Pennsylvania deserves a representative like Ashley Ehasz, a veteran who fought for our freedoms abroad and is now fighting to protect them at home. With a nationwide abortion ban on the line, it’s time to replace Fitzpatrick’s empty promises with a genuine advocate for women’s reproductive rights,” said DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene.
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To: Interested Parties
From: Aidan Johnson
Date: April 23, 2024
Subject: The Case Against Brian Fitzpatrick
Amongst all the extremism in the Republican Party, sometimes hiding behind House leadership is enough to earn you the label “moderate.” Maybe you feign bipartisanship for the headlines while you serve in the House minority, but when push comes to shove in a slim Republican majority, you fold like a house of cards. For too long, Brian Fitzpatrick has gotten away with being a wolf in sheep’s clothing, only to cave to MAGA extremists when it matters most. Whether it’s protecting Donald Trump or criminalizing abortion nationwide, Fitzpatrick has lost the trust of his constituents and his right to the “moderate” title.
Unlike Fitzpatrick, Ashley Ehasz is running to defend Pennsylvanians’ reproductive freedoms. Following 9/11, Ashley joined the army at the age of 17 and was accepted to West Point. As a former commander in the military who flew Apache helicopters over Baghdad, she protected our rights abroad, but when she came home she found democracy and our reproductive freedoms under attack.
Don’t Be Fooled: Fitzpatrick Is An Anti-Abortion Extremist
At a time when Donald Trump and House Republicans are pushing a national abortion ban and trying to outlaw IVF, now more than ever, Pennsylvanians need a representative who will protect their reproductive freedoms. That person is not Brian Fitzpatrick.
Fitzpatrick voted for a nationwide abortion ban that would rip away reproductive rights from women across the county, calling it “a good starting point.” And he voted not once, but twice to allow states to ban abortion by voting against the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would codify the freedoms Roe v. Wade guaranteed, and continues to vote against its consideration.
Right before the 51st anniversary of Roe v. Wade this year, Fitzpatrick voted to pass two bills that chip away at women’s freedoms and attempt to deny them access to essential reproductive health care. Both measures would spread harmful misinformation and prevent vulnerable communities from seeking essential care. The first of these was even endorsed by the extreme, anti-choice National Right to Life Committee, an organization that advocates for a national abortion ban.
When faced with Republican primary opponents, a panicked Fitzpatrick decided to share the truth about his voting record and “mailed a letter to constituents promoting the right-wing agenda” — including his vote for legislation that attacks women’s reproductive rights. A few months later he tried to cover up his votes for Jim Jordan and Mike Johnson to be speaker, despite both men being fervent anti-abortion extremists. Johnson cosponsored legislation that would ban abortion nationwide with no exceptions for rape or incest and essentially outlaw IVF, but Fitzpatrick backed him anyway.
Fitzpatrick Falls In Line Behind Donald Trump And MAGA Extremists
Despite his efforts to distance himself, Fitzpatrick’s ties to Donald Trump are unmistakable; Trump’s endorsement of him in 2020 speaks volumes about his underlying allegiances. He can run, but he can’t hide his loyalty to the GOP’s nominee.
Fitzpatrick refused to join the bipartisan effort to impeach Donald Trump after the shameful events of January 6th that killed police officers and threatened our democracy. Now, at the behest of the former president and Marjorie Taylor Greene, he voted for Republicans’ ridiculous, conspiracy-theory fueled impeachment inquiry aimed at President Biden — which has already gone up in smoke after the FBI informant at the center of it was indicted for lying in his statements.
One would imagine that a former FBI agent might like to see some facts before going all in with this political stunt, but Fitzpatrick doesn’t have the courage to stand up against his party — which is busy playing games and doing nothing to help working families.
At the end of the day, Fitzpatrick puts his party over people. In today’s GOP, that means taking marching orders from the MAGA extremists who run the show. When MAGA Mike Johnson needs him most, Fitzpatrick falls in line. Last fall, Fitzpatrick voted for devastating cuts to law enforcement, education, Social Security and small businesses. He then voted for Mike Johnson as speaker, attempting to justify the decision by absurdly claiming Johnson was a “not a Trump Republican.” When Donald Trump and Mike Johnson say jump, Brian Fitzpatrick asks how high?
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
The Bucks County Beacon: Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick Is A Loyal Soldier in the Crusade to End Reproductive Freedom and Ban Abortion [The Bucks County Beacon, 1/22/24]
The Keystone: Brian Fitzpatrick Touts Right-Wing Positions Amid Primary Challenge [The Keystone, 9/15/23]
Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Bucks) recently mailed a letter to constituents promoting the right-wing agenda he’s supported this legislative session. The mail piece may have caught some off guard, but comes as Fitzpatrick faces a primary challenge next year.
[…]
One of the bills Fitzpatrick highlighted was the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which aims to spread misinformation about “late-term abortions,”—a favored term of the anti-abortion movement that distorts the reality of abortions late in pregnancy. In reality, only 1% of abortions happen after 20 weeks.
Punchbowl News: How Fitzpatrick messaged his speaker votes [Punchbowl News, 11/10/23]
Fitzpatrick touted his Oct. 20 vote for McHenry and “against Jim Jordan.” Left unsaid, however, was that on Oct. 17 and Oct. 18, Fitzpatrick voted for Jordan. The context of the letter is that Fitzpatrick’s office was responding to specific constituent feedback amid multiple rounds of the speaker election.
The Bucks County Beacon: Bucks County Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick’s Worst Votes of 2023 [The Bucks County Beacon, 12/27/23]
PATH TO VICTORY
PA-01 is a favorable district for Democrats. In 2016, Hillary Clinton won in PA-01 by +0.8 points. In 2020, President Biden won by 4.6 points. In 2023’s local school board, county commissioner, and PA Supreme Court elections, Bucks County – a bellwether for the country – elected Democrats up and down the ballot. Anti-abortion, anti-Democracy, and anti-LGBTQ organizations spent millions in the district only to be rejected by voters in a clean sweep that spells disaster for Brian Fitzpatrick this November. Compared to the last off-year election, a notably greater share of voters in PA-01 chose Democrats over Republicans in the state’s Supreme Court race. Bucks County saw a 6.5-point (48.9% to 55.4%) shift towards Democrats.
The top of the ticket will play a key role in PA-01 this cycle. Not only will President Biden’s reelection mean more turnout amongst Democrats, but Senator Casey will also play a significant role, having received 57.0% of the vote in PA-01 in 2018.
This district falls within the expensive and crowded Philadelphia media market, but Democrats are already investing. The coordinated campaign will have multiple offices in Bucks County and a ground game to turn out the vote for Democrats up and down the ballot. What’s more, Fitzpatrick has had to spend real money to defeat his Republican primary opponent and Ashley Ehasz raised over $650,000 last quarter — the best on-year first quarter by any candidate who has challenged Fitzpatrick.
Voters are tired of a two-faced politician who has spent his recent time in Congress defending Donald Trump and trying to control women’s bodies, and are ready to elect Ashley Ehasz – a defender of democracy and freedoms who won’t turn her back on her constituents.
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