Brian Fitzpatrick and Chrissy Houlahan commit to certifying election results

U.S. Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R., Bucks) and Chrissy Houlahan (D., Chester), both suburban Philadelphia legislators who describe themselves as moderates, signed a pledge Thursday to certify the 2024 presidential election and attend the next president’s inauguration in January. Politico reported.

Fitzpatrick and Houlahan were among 32 lawmakers who promised to “ensure the fairness and integrity of the American democratic process” after the 2024 election ends and all legal avenues to challenge the results have been exhausted.

Election protection, the declaration says, will include recognizing the winner when Congress meets to certify the results, attending the inauguration of the next president and “serving as a voice of calm and reconciliation” while speaking out against those who commit or support violence.

“Chrissy signed the oath because she believes deeply in the integrity of the electoral process and will therefore certify the election,” Errin Cecil-Smith, a spokesman for Houlahan, said in a statement.

Fitzpatrick, the only Republican representing the Philadelphia metropolitan area, was one of only six Republicans to sign the pledge organized by the Problem Solvers Caucus, which he chairs. Houlahan is also a member and co-founder of the caucus.

In 2020, Fitzpatrick voted to certify President Joe Biden’s election even though members of his own party voted against it, due to former President Donald Trump’s lies about election fraud.

The Bucks County congressman has consistently sought to distance himself from the former president and has not yet said whether he will support Trump’s 2024 campaign. His decision to sign the pledge continues his efforts to portray himself as a moderate, responsible statesman as he seeks re-election in purple Bucks County.

Fitzpatrick’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the pledge.

Fitzpatrick’s Democratic opponent, Ashley Ehasz, said Fitzpatrick did the bare minimum by signing the oath of office and criticized his earlier decisions to endorse U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan (R., Ohio) and U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson (R., Louisiana) in their separate bids for House speaker.

“It is unclear whether his voters can trust this commitment,” Ehasz said in a statement.