Democrat Candidate Jokes About Giving Himself Pay Hike After Raising Taxes

Bucks County Commissioner Bob Harvie is running against Republican incumbent Brian Fitzpatrick in Pennsylvania's 1st Congressional District. It should be, statistically speaking, one of the most competitive races in the country as Republicans try to maintain control of the House in the midterms.

Harvie's time as Bucks County Commissioner is creating mounting blowback to his campaign, however, as voters scrutinize his record. Last December, Harvie was the deciding vote to raise Bucks County property taxes by almost 10 percent, an increase larger than what county staff even recommended. That move helped close a $16 million operational budget deficit in the county. Jeannette Weaver, the county's interim chief financial officer, had proposed an increase of 2 mils — $2 more in taxes for every $1,000 of assessed value. Harvie instead proposed a 2.2-mil increase.

What's most insulting, however, is that the tax increase came after Harvie voted to give himself a pay raise. And newly uncovered audio caught Harvie laughing about that decision.

"Really the same reason I ran for local office and county office is really the same reason I became a social studies teacher, you know, after I was coming out of high school," Harvie said. "It wasn't for the money."

The crowd laughed

Harvie continued, "Despite the pay raise I gave myself."

The crowd laughed some more.

But that's not all Harvie has done with the taxpayers' money in Bucks County. During his time as the Bucks County Commissioner, Harvie funded services for illegal aliens, including $3,000 to a leftist organization, Immigrant Rights Action, which later merged with the Welcome Project PA. He also voted to stop former Sheriff Fred Harran from working with ICE. Harvie even went so far as to compare Harran, who is Jewish, to Nazis in 1930s Germany. The ACLU sued Harran, who won in court. Unfortunately, Harran lost his reelection and his successor rolled back the county's cooperation agreements with ICE, putting families at risk.

Harvie also used funds meant for recovering opioid addicts to transport kids to an "LGBTQ+ Youth Center" that offered "medical transition" seminars. The $13,500 grant was approved in December to Planned Parenthood Keystone for "expanding services and transportation" to the Rainbow Room, a local center that "caters to gay and trans youth," according to the Free Beacon. That money came from the county's Opioid Settlement Fund. In May 2024, the Rainbow Room held a "Sex Ed Night/Masturbation" seminar that was promoted with a sexually suggestive image. In 2023, they hosted a "Queer Prom" where attendees, some of whom were as young as 13 years old, were given goody bags containing condoms, lubricant, and dental dams, devices used to prevent the transmission of STDs during oral sex.

The bottom line is that Bob Harvie is too radical for Congress. He thinks it's funny to give himself a pay raise while jacking up property taxes. But for families who can't afford his reckless tax-and-spend policies, it's no laughing matter. Harvie has also put the safety of Bucks County families at risk by refusing to cooperate with ICE, and his extreme, far-left agenda has been a disaster for Pennsylvanians.

Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.

Help Townhall continue to report on the Democrats’ radicalism and inform voters as our nation faces a crossroads. Join Townhall VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.