Brian Fitzpatrick

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Democrat Bob Harvie is projected to defeat Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) in Pennsylvania’s first congressional district just north of Philadelphia.

Harvie’s victory in one of the country’s most competitive races is another sign of the magnitude of the Blue Wave sweeping Republicans out of power in Washington. It’s not a seat that will be easy for Republicans to flip back.

First elected in 2016, Fitzpatrick is a moderate Republican who’s frequently bucked his party on high-profile votes. His district is one of only three that voted for Kamala Harris and a Republican House member in 2024.

Fitzpatrick easily defeated past Democratic challengers after taking over the seat from his brother, Mike. Harvie’s candidacy was the first since 2020 to receive support from national Democrats, including ad spending and a visit from House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.).

Republicans also prioritized Fitzpatrick, with the party’s campaign committee pouring resources into the race as it shifted money away from more vulnerable districts.

During the campaign, Fitzpatrick touted his bipartisan record and his endorsements from unions while smearing Harvie, a member of the Bucks County Board of Commissioners, as so corrupt that he’s been under FBI investigation for five straight years.

Fitzpatrick put the accusation on billboards and in TV ads, using it to highlight his own background as an FBI agent and prosecutor. No evidence supported the claim beyond the fact that Harvie spoke to a grand jury in 2021 in a case that never resulted in charges.

“I am a former FBI agent, but I know how grand juries work, and I’m well aware of his status in this case,” Fitzpatrick told HuffPost over the summer. “I’m aware of what’s contained in the files that he refuses to release.”

Harvie insisted he’d spoken to the grand jury as a mere witness, not a subject or target of the investigation, and he said Fitzpatrick was just desperate to keep his job.

But President Donald Trump’s war in Iran, which pushed up prices when Americans were already tired of inflation, likely helped fuel Harvie’s win.

“This district has always been purple,” Harvie told HuffPost outside a town hall in Norsham last month. “People are hurting here. Housing prices show that the lack of ability for young families to buy a house in Bucks County is a serious issue. Gas prices, Iran tariffs, just what’s happening to this country, the mood of the country, where we are as a nation, in terms of our our position overseas, all of that has been happening while Brian Fitzpatrick has been there. He’s done nothing about it.”