One published internal poll merits another in Pennsylvania’s 1st Congressional District.
Days after Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick campaign released a poll that showed the Republican incumbent with a double-digit lead over his Democratic rival Ashley Ehasz responded with numbers showing her loss was just five points, 50-45%.
The survey was conducted by Growthdemocratic research and strategy firm.
Ehasz, a veteran and former Apache helicopter pilot, has maintained steady support since a June poll by the same group showed her support dropping two points to 47% to 45%.
Fitzpatrick’s internal poll conducted by Public Opinion Strategies (POS) gave the three-term president a 14-point lead (54-40%).
However, Upswing’s poll found that when respondents were informed of Fitzpatrick’s claims of independence versus Ehasz’s background, as well as “Republican support for a nationwide abortion ban,” support shifted in his favor, 51%-44%.
“PA-01 is a staunchly pro-choice district currently represented by the staunchly anti-abortion Brian Fitzpatrick,” said Victoria Casarubbias, a campaign spokeswoman. “Ashley believes reproductive decisions should be made by a woman and her doctor, not politicians, and this poll shows that Bucks and Montgomery County voters strongly agree. The path to Ashley’s victory in November is clear: When voters learn the truth that Brian voted for a statewide abortion ban that would have overturned Pennsylvania’s state law, they will withdraw their support for the incumbent and elect Ashley by 7 points.”
In 2017 Fitzpatrick voted for HR 36 which would amend the federal penal code to make it a crime to perform or attempt to perform an abortion if the fetus is likely to be 20 weeks or older at fertilization. And five years later, he opposed Women’s Health Protection Act of 2022which would prohibit government restrictions on the provision of and access to abortion services.
“Congressman Fitzpatrick has and will continue to stand firmly behind Pennsylvania’s current law, which allows legal abortion through the first 24 weeks of pregnancy,” his campaign said in an emailed statement. “His commitment to women’s health remains unwavering, including protecting access to contraception and in vitro fertilization.
“The characterization of HR 36 (by Ehasz) — which allows elective abortions for five months and medically necessary abortions for nine months — as a ‘ban’ shows how dishonest it is.”
Upswing Research & Strategy surveyed 400 likely voters in the September 4-10 general election using a mixed-mode methodology; we conducted 269 interviews via live calls on landlines and mobile phones and 131 interviews via text-to-text. The margin of error is +/- 4.9%.
