Pennsylvania’s 8th congressional district in suburban Philadelphia will be a must-watch race this evening. In 2006, Democrat Patrick Murphy narrowly ousted freshman Republican Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick. Four years later, the Irishmen are fighting in a rough-and-tumble rematch.
Fitzpatrick, an old friend, just phoned from the trail. “Turnout is consistently high, from the upper end of the district to lower Bucks County,” he says. “People are coming to the polls and seem intent on casting a vote — they’re not so interested in talking to poll workers or taking literature. They’re showing up to send a message.”
“Bucks County is a swing county,” Fitzpatrick says. “The county and the district is closely divided and voters pay attention.” He predicts that the “collar counties to the city of Philadelphia will swing conservative this year because they’re fiscal conservatives to the core and they don’t appreciate the high taxes and high spending of the current administration.”
Fitzpatrick notes that the state GOP slate, which includes U.S. Senate candidate Pat Toomey and gubernatorial nominee Tom Corbett, will likely do well in the ‘burbs, where voters in the past have been known to split their ballots.
“It seems as if people are coming in and voting, without discrimination, for a straight Republican ticket,” Fitzpatrick says. “I have not seen any breakage at all. While some of the races may be closer than others, I think the entire Republican ticket will do well in Pennsylvania, notwithstanding a serious voter disadvantage statewide, where Democrats hold a 1.2 million registration lead. Even in our district, where Democrats outnumber us, the voter turnout will be stronger for Republicans. We have greater intensity.”
“There are a number Democrats who are showing up and indicating, affirmatively, that they’re voting Republican,” Fitzpatrick adds. “This is a very interesting year, and it’s the kind of election you see about once in a generation. I’ve got to tell you, I’m enjoying the fact that turnout is high, and that voters are very engaged in the issues. It’s all pretty positive.”
This evening, “I am going to spend lot of time in lower Bucks and south-central Bucks County,” Fitzpatrick says. “I’ll also be in Upper Bucks where the Republican vote will come in very strongly for us.”
In the meantime, Fitzpatrick will visit the slivers of the district that sit in Philadelphia and Montgomery County — PA-8’s Democratic strongholds.
“It’s an area of conservative Democrats,” Fitzpatrick says. “They were willing to support Murphy when he had no record and claimed to be a Blue Dog Democrat, if there is such a thing. Four years later, he has a record that’s not good, and certainly not conservative, and Philadelphians who have supported him in the past have decided to flee.”
