With recent polls showing Republican Mike Fitzpatrick leading incumbent Democrat Patrick Murphy in the race for Pennsylvania’s Eighth Congressional District, it’s not surprising that Murphy’s numbers have stagnated – he’s voted lock-step with Washington Democrats for Nancy Pelosi’s liberal agenda. You name the legislation and you’ll find a Yea vote from Patrick Murphy: the $787 billion failed Stimulus, raising the debt limit to $14 trillion, the government-takeover of healthcare, and the job-killing, tax raising Cap-and-Trade bill.
With this record, you would hope Murphy recognizes he’s in hot water. I could tell you that’s the case, or you could hear the answer from the Congressman’s mouth.
As a sign that their prospects of retaining this seat are virtually gone, the DCCC just announced they were cutting air time in the Philadelphia media market, which covers this district. With Murphy getting desperate, his Democrat friends have resorted to deceitful scare tactics to make up for his sagging poll numbers Momentum is with the GOP and in twelve days, voters have can cast their ballots for a new direction in Washington or more of the same disastrous policies that have guaranteed mountains of debt for our children and grandchildren.
Original Post: 7/8/2010
In one of the more interesting and fastest developing House races to watch this fall, former Republican Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick is taking on Rep. Patrick Murphy, the Democrat who ousted the freshman Fitzpatrick by just over 1,500 votes in the 2006 wave. With Murphy now facing the liability of his two-term incumbency and his unwavering support for the unpopular Democrat agenda, he now faces an uphill climb to a third term. To make life more difficult for the liberal Murphy, Fitzpatrick is already charging hard back into the ring, having already amassed a hefty war chest and collected 77 percent of the vote in a crowded and contested Republican primary.
Despite being under Democratic control for the past two terms, Pennsylvania’s 8th District is ripe to swing in the building Republican wave. The suburban Philadelphia district, rated D+2 by the Cook Partisan Voting Index, encompasses Bucks County, a small portion of Montgomery County and Northeast Philadelphia. The district had been largely Republican from 1923 until 2006. Rep. Murphy unexpectedly took over this seat in 2006, but Republicans are ready to capitalize on a favorable environment and a strong candidate in order to put this swing district back in the GOP’s hands.
Over the past two terms, Rep. Murphy has proven to be a steadfast devotee to his party’s unpopular agenda, regardless of the district’s moderate profile. Murphy has been a constant backer of Nancy Pelosi, exposing this alleged Blue Dog’s consistent liberal streak. By checking the box for bailouts, the failed ‘stimulus,’ the National Energy Tax, and the government takeover of health care, Murphy has done plenty to alienate himself from his largely suburban constituency - a key voting bloc if Republicans are to take back the majority in the House.
Unlike Murphy, Republican Mike Fitzpatrick is well-known for taking a rational approach to his decision-making and serving the will of his district. As a Bucks County Commissioner for ten years, he worked hard to improve the county’s emergency management system and organized the anti-terrorism task force in the wake of the September 11th attacks. He was elected to the U.S. Congress in 2004, where he championed economic vitality, job creation, and efficient governmental administration. Fitzpatrick has consistently sought to represent the broad spectrum of constituents in Bucks County and earned a reputation as a thoughtful independent thinker during his time in elected office.
Since Fitzpatrick announced his candidacy for the mid-term Congressional elections in January 2010, he has put the Eighth District and Washington, D.C. on notice that his candidacy is not to be taken lightly. Fitzpatrick has capitalized on his popularity in the district to build a broad grassroots network and raise significant funds for his bid, turning in one of the most impressive fundraising hauls in the country earlier this year. The NRCC recognized Fitzpatrick’s hard work by promoting him to the top level of our Young Guns program, noting that his campaign has quickly put the pieces in place to compete and win as we march toward Election Day.
This November, Fitzpatrick has a chance to take back the highly prized seat right in the heart of territory where Democrats have built their majority over the last two election cycles. A vote for Fitzpatrick would be a vote for renewed economic vitality and the return of responsible representation to the Eighth District. Visit Fitzpatrick’s website and become a fan on facebook in order to learn more about this top-notch candidate and stay up to date with the latest news on this race
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