The crucial 2018 midterms are in full-swing, and Pennsylvania is home to a multitude of contentious Congressional races. After the electoral map was redrawn, PA-01 is home to one of the most-watched races for Congress. Running to defend his seat in the Bucks County suburbs of Philadelphia and earn a second term in Washington is Freshman Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick. The Pennsylvania Democratic Party has nominated Scott Wallace, a native of Bucks County, to challenge Fitzpatrick.
Wallace and his wife operate the Wallace Global Fund, a family-run foundation that pours resources into causes such as climate change and clean energy. The foundation found itself in hot water when its records of donations to the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), a liberal activist group, whose members have been convicted of election fraud in court. The foundation’s donations added up to over $400,000.
Despite the alleged wave of Democratic energy as a referendum on President Trump, Wallace has failed to receive crucial endorsements which are usually all but automatic for Democratic candidates. Most notably, Democratic Jewish Outreach Pennsylvania rejected Wallace’s candidacy on account of his radical, anti-Israel views. The Democratic candidate also failed to receive an endorsement from Pennsylvania’s largest labor union, AFL-CIO, which supports Democratic candidates nearly one-hundred percent of the time. The union not only declined to endorse Wallace, AFL-CIO put their support behind Fitzpatrick, despite his identity with the Republican Party.
Jason Gottesman, spokesman for the Republican Party of Pennsylvania, says that the groups’ rejection of Wallace speak to his inability to identify with his constituents:
"Radical leftist Scott Wallace has been repeatedly rejected by traditional Democratic groups, and his donations to support ACORN are another indication of how out of touch he is with the moderate Pennsylvanians in his district,” he said in an email.
November will bring a tough battle for both parties, with the prize for victory being control of the House of Representatives. PA-01 brings a controversial Congressional race to the voters in Bucks County, with the polling essentially showing Fitzpatrick and Wallace in a dead heat and no candidate with a clearly defined advantage.