This is the first article in our series highlighting the key congressional primary elections in the commonwealth.
1st Congressional District Bob Harvie AND Lucia Simonelli seek the Democratic nomination in hopes of challenging the Republican incumbent Brian Fitzpatrick autumn.
The Pennsylvania primary election will be held on Tuesday, May 19.
Bob Harvie
- Experience: Bucks County Board of Commissioners, 2020-present, 2022-2024 Chair; City of Falls Board of Supervisors, 2003-2020; Social studies teacher at a high school
- Priorities
- Fight for working families, strengthen the middle class, protect our freedoms and restore justice
- Make life more affordable by eliminating the real causes of rising costs
- Prohibit members of Congress from trading individual stocks, prohibit members of Congress from becoming lobbyists
- Significant tax breaks for the middle class
- Stop corporate investors from buying up our neighborhoods and make sure homes are for people, not hedge funds
- Investing in early childhood education such as preschool and kindergarten, expanding access to technical and civic education, and ensuring that every student learns real-world personal finance skills.
- Make college more affordable and invest more resources in job training programs and internships
- Build on the Infrastructure Act to repair roads, upgrade bridges and expand public transport
- Restore critical funding for cybersecurity, strengthen our national defense and ensure our military is equipped and respected
- Improve pay and benefits for veterans and strengthen the VA
- Fundraising: $427,808 from January 1 to March 31. Cash on hand: $603,762.
- Education: B.A., George Washington University. M.Ed. University of the Holy Family
- Quotable: “Our country is failing to keep its promises – and working families are paying the price. While people work longer and harder to stay afloat, Washington descends into chaos, ignoring the struggles of everyday Americans.”
- Cufflinks: : Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Blue
Lucia Simonelli
- Experience: Director of Programs, Carbon Removal Standards Initiative; Scientist
- Priorities
- Universal health care at the state level as a step toward Medicare for All
- Extending ACA subsidies and restoring Medicaid
- Support a federally protected Roe-like national standard as proposed in the Women’s Health Act of 2025.
- Restore VA funding levels
- Pause data centers
- Balance the budget; Extreme tax wealth; No more Buy/Borrow/Die and Gradual Increase
- Immigration policy should reflect justice, dignity, legal integrity and practical solutions that prioritize human rights and border security.
- Universal Preschool Care; Paid parental leave; Expand professional and technical training
- Overthrow Citizens United; No private monetary donations to the campaign; No more Gerrymandering; No more Electoral College
- Trading in Congress shares prohibited
- Fundraising: $23,763 from January 1 to March 31. Cash on hand: $30,011.
- Education: B.A., University of Texas; PhD from the University of Maryland
- Quotable: “Good politics is politics that serves the people, not just party leaders, billionaires or corporations. But bad politics constantly gets in the way of good politics, concentrating power in the hands of a few and undermining our faith in the political process. Together we can take back our power, restore trust, and generate the energy and excitement necessary to build a different, better future.”
- Cufflinks: : Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Blue
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