Posted on 02/01/2013 5:40:03 AM PST by mgist
Democrats make Fitzpatrick an early target U.S. Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick
by Gary Weckselblatt Less than a month after U.S. House members were sworn into office, Democrats have already chosen their top 10 targets for 2014 and Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick has made the list.
The House Majority PAC made the announcement Thursday, saying each of the Republicans “represents a competitive district and has an out-of-touch, extreme record.”
In the 2012 cycle, the so-called super political action committee spent nearly $36 million against more than 50 GOP candidates. It receives financial backing from George Soros, a supporter of many left-wing causes, and several unions, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks political spending on its OpenSecrets.org website.
Asked about the PAC, Fitzpatrick said, “I’m going to continue to represent the interests of my district. If that makes Nancy Pelosi or her radical special interests uneasy, she can take it up with the voters next year.” Fitzpatrick, in his third term, should be used to the challenge. Last year, another progressive super PAC, CREDO, named him to its “Tea Party Ten” list of House members it worked to defeat, saying his votes are in line with “extremist tea party values.”
While CREDO went to work about seven months before the election, House Majority PAC plans to do so in the coming months with “individually tailored plans in each of these 10 districts, to include earned and paid media, online communications and social networking,” according to a press release. “These efforts will lay the groundwork for increased political activity leading up to Election Day in 2014.” Fitzpatrick has been hounded by progressive groups since his 2010 election. Both Penn Action and Pennsylvania Working Families have been on his case at seemingly every turn, holding frequent protests outside his Middletown Township office.
That constant attention has caused him to limit his town hall announcements. Rather than open up meetings to his entire district by announcing them on his website and in the media, as he did early in his last term, he has resorted to phoning residents in the area where the meeting is being held.
Despite the progressive onslaught, Fitzpatrick defeated Democrat Kathy Boockvar last November by 13 percentage points, 56.6 to 43.4, in a gerrymandered district more favorable to Republicans. He benefited from a $2.7 million to $1.5 million fundraising advantage, and an additional $820,000 in outside spending, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
During the campaign, Boockvar went after the incumbent for his vote in favor of the GOP budget, which changed the way Medicare is funded and continued tax breaks for oil companies. She also attacked him for supporting cuts to programs that she claimed would hurt families. Andy Stone, spokesman for House Majority PAC, said “a lot of those issues are still really relevant. It points to the congressman being out of touch with voters.”
Fitzpatrick has maintained he is one of the House’s most independent voters. According to The Washington Post’s Votes Database, Fitzpatrick votes with his party 69 percent of the time. That figure is the seventh lowest among 435 House members.
He also joined a group called No Labels, a nonpartisan organization “dedicated to pragmatic governance,” according to a press release. Its national leaders are former Republican Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman and West Virginia Democratic U.S. Senator Joe Manchin. Stone said “The reality is, he’s cast lots of votes that put him outside the mainstream.”
John Cordisco, chairman of the Bucks County Democratic Committee, said he spoke to Democratic House leaders while attending the recent presidential inauguration.
“Their feeling is that Mike may have postured himself in a more conservative light over the last couple of years,” he said. “That was their consistent view.” Cordisco said there could be a “backlash” coming out of budget negotiations “and other issues facing Congress in the next 12 months” that could impact the 8th District campaign. Peter Kostmayer, who won the seat Fitzpatrick now holds seven times, believes the incumbent can be beaten, and uses his own experience as an example.
In 1978, Kostmayer, a Democrat, won re-election against G. Roger Bowers with 61 percent of the vote. Two years later, with Ronald Reagan at the top of the ticket, Kostmayer was narrowly defeated by James Coyne.
He rebounded with five consecutive victories. “Every election is different,” Kostmayer said Thursday. “There are different candidates. If it’s a presidential election, that changes turnout dramatically. Is the country in good shape? Is the country not in good shape? How are guns going to play there?”
Kostmayer said television money could play a major role in the outcome, especially for a challenger trying to get name recognition. That’s where House Majority PAC comes in. In 2012, it spent more than $1 million in six races. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, the Republican it targeted lost five of them.
U.S. Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick is going to easily win again.
And the far left liberals will have wasted millions more again.
Do not underestimate liberals. Their ability to smear the best on our side is well-known.
Here in Central Illinois they are already running adds criticizing Arron Shock. This is where the GOP falls way short. The Dems are attacking constantly non stop. Their goal is to demonize and minimalize their opponents and plant that seed in the majority of the low information voters minds that Republicans are bad, they lie and are only for the rich. Then when the election rolls around they have already convinced a large portion of the electorate that the guy with the R next to his name is bad and we need a change.
Do not underestimate liberals. Their ability to smear the best on our side is well-known.
The GOP better look for some competent candidates for 2014 or it will lose the House.
Oh...and when the Democrat media baits its trap by asking questions about rape and women’s bodily functions, the standard answer should be, “When you ask my Democrat opponent this question, I’ll give you my answer.”
You’re right. If they can’t find a hint of something to distort, they’ll make something up.
If the GOP continues to push Rubio-Obama Illegal Alien Amnesty.....the Dems will need to do nothing to win the House
It's only gerrymandering when Republicans do it. When the DemocRats stuck a chunk of NE Philadelphia into the 8th district, that was for "equal voting rights", or some such thing.
Philly Burbs = Philadelphia Inquirer = Liberal Bias
PA Ping
Conservatives have a two front war...Scumbag Democrats and Scumbag Republicans....
What I want to see is the Republicans top 10 target list. If they don’t get in the game, we’re going to lose it all.
I think we also need to get our candidate settled on for president in ‘16. If Sarah does not run, my pick right now is Ted Cruz. He looks and talks like a man who could take the liberals to the woodshed on most any issue. I like the cut of his jib.
Mike is my congressman . He was one of the people at the forefront of establishing the new National Cemetery in Washington Crossing. I saw him there at the dedication ceremony a few years ago and just recently in November for a wreath-laying where hundreds of local citizens showed up to put a wreath on each and every gravesite.
Mike is a good man, and he should win re-election in a walk.
This is the district that had Pete Kostmayer, Patrick Murphy, and Jim Greenwood, and that’s why the rats think it’s vulnerable. As long as Mike stands firm on common sense conservative principles he will be fine. If he gets squishy, only then will he have problems.
Totally agree. Conservatives need to pick a candidate and start funding early to counter the GOPe and their pick (Jeb Bush, ugh).
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