Incumbent Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick and Mark Houck are running in the Republican primary election for Pennsylvania’s 1st Congressional District on April 23.
Fitzpatrick describes himself as the most independent member of Congress and his campaign as a movement fighting against hyper-partisanship. He said, “I am the Vice-Chair of the Bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, a group of 25 Democrats and 25 Republicans who have forged together to build consensus and find common ground to solve our national challenges.” Fitzpatrick says he supports term limits for members of Congress, reducing drug abuse and fatalities from the opioid crisis, increasing resources for law enforcement at the U.S.-Mexico border, and limiting illegal immigration while supporting Dreamers, referring to children brought to the United States without legal permission.
In Houck’s response to Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey, he said he supports restoring constitutional values, lowering the national debt, and defunding programs that he believes are unconstitutional, including the Department of Education. Houck says he will work to limit illegal immigration, increase military funding, and “rebuild the foundations of faith, family, and freedom.”
According to Dec. 31, 2023, campaign finance reports, Fitzpatrick had $3,788,910 cash on hand. As of Feb. 5, 2024, Houck had $7,742 cash on hand.
Fitzpatrick said he is “not done with his fight to fix a broken Washington and make a difference for our communities.” Fitzpatrick says he is uniquely qualified because of his background in the FBI as an agent, national director for the FBI’s Campaign Finance and Election Crimes Enforcement Program, and national supervisor for the FBI’s Political Corruptions Unit.
Houck says his arrest at a Philadelphia Planned Parenthood facility in 2022 played a role in his decision to run for Congress. He said, “I know firsthand what it’s like to be attacked by the federal government. I know firsthand how the enemy of the state can be created by virtue of your faith. And I want to protect the 1st District of Pennsylvania and all families in the 1st District from that ever happening to them.”
