Ashley Ehasz back in mix as Dems hope to unseat Brian Fitzpatrick in PA's 1st District

There's no election this year for the congressional seat to represent Bucks County, but that doesn't mean the campaigns, or the politics around them, are dormant.

And the Democrat who sought last year to unseat the GOP incumbent wants a rematch in 2024.

Ashley Ehasz announces candidacy early

Democrat Ashley Ehasz, a West Point graduate who is an outspoken proponent of pro-choice politics and gun controls, has announced she wants to run again in 2024 for the 1st Congressional District seat that Republican Brian Fitzpatrick. a former FBI agent and leader of the Problem Solvers Caucus in Congress, has held for the past four terms. And she isn't waiting until this year's primary election is over to make the announcement.

Fitzpatrick said last month the he will run again for his fifth term representing Bucks County and a small portion of Eastern Montgomery County in Congress.

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Will 2024 election be repeat of 2022?

Whether they will be their political parties' only candidates for the seat in Congress remains to be seen, but in past elections there were multiple candidates in the primaries. The 2024 primary election is over a year away.

In 2022, Fitzpatrick easily held off Ehasz' challenge.

Fitzpatrick received 171,655 votes or 54.76% of those cast; Ehasz received 140,222 votes, or 44.73%, and 1,597 votes went for other write-in candidates, or 0.51%, according to the Bucks County Board of Elections.

He had more money, a record and name recognition as an incumbent.

If there is a rematch of Ehasz and Fitzpatrick, it will be in a presidential election year, which brings out more voters, and could change the results.

And Bucks County voter registration shows it could be anyone's race. As of December, there are 204,145 Democrats, 196,480 Republicans and 81,176 non-partisan voters registered in Bucks County.

Turnout could be key, but Fitzpatrick still appears to have the edge.

He won re-election in 2020 despite Democratic President Joe Biden carrying Bucks County and was re-elected in 2022 along with several Republican row officers, despite the Democrats controlling the county government.

Election 2022: Fitzpatrick says win reflects 1st District voters' desire for unity, moderation

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Running for Congress in Bucks County is expensive

More than a year away, the Congressional election already is shaping up to be an expensive proposition with the candidates needing to raise millions of dollars.

The Federal Election Commission reports that Fitzpatrick raised $4.56 million for the 2022 election and as of Dec. 31, had $1.459 million in reserve. Ehasz raised $970,541 for the 2022 election and had $6,147 on hand as of the end of the year.

Fitzpatrick already has had a St. Patrick's Day fundraiser and will have a Kentucky Derby party in which donors are invited to watch the race and "join the Team Fitz Winner's Circle."

Ehasz is seeking "founding donors" to kickstart her upcoming campaign, noting the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee views the 1st District seat "as one of the top battleground districts in play to regain the House majority, so this race will get expensive quickly."

Political analysis for subscribers: Analysis: Ehasz fundraising suggests 1st District is likely to stay red with Fitzpatrick

Brian Fitzpatrick and Ashley Ehasz tout credentials

"Now more than ever, we are seeing unprecedented attacks on women’s reproductive rights, the LGBTQ+ community, and the American way of life — and that’s not an accident," Ehasz said in a campaign email. She is an Army veteran who piloted Apache helicopters in Kuwait, Iraq and South Korea.

Fitzpatrick, an attorney and certified public accountant, serves as chair of the National Intelligence Subcommittee on the Select Committee on Intelligence and on the House Ways & Means Committee as well as a member of several caucuses including being chair of the Problem Solvers Caucus.

He frequently speaks of his ability to work across the aisle on legislation but has been a target of Democrats saying he still votes with the Republican majority on many issues. He was the only Republican up for re-election to vote for gun control legislation.

Bucks County Republican Party Chair Patricia Poprik said she doesn't think Ehasz will convince voters this time around that she should replace Fitzpatrick. "She has very liberal positions. Why would voters change their minds? Her positions are out of line with voters...There are a lot of people who like Brian's positions," Poprik said.

Bucks County Democratic Party Chairman Steve Santarsiero said it's early, so it's not clear whether there will be other candidates interested in the race in 2024. He's focused on this year's elections now.

"But as Democrats here in Bucks County, right now we need to be focused on bringing sanity back to our school boards, winning local government, statewide judicial and row office races and, of course, re-electing Bob Harvie and Diane Marseglia, our first Democratic majority on the Board of Commissioners in over 30 years," Santarsiero said.

Both Ehasz and Fitzpatrick ran with their parties' endorsement last year.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Ashley Ehasz to run again against Brian Fitzpatrick for PA-01 Congressional seat