Inquirer - Fitzpatrick uses home advantage to gain support
Fitzpatrick uses home advantage to gain support
Posted on 30-10-2006
By Christine Schiavo
Inquirer Staff Writer
Horns honk, hands wave, and drivers holler, "Yo, Mike," as the freshman congressman from Bucks County strolls along Court Street in Doylestown.
He smiles, waves back, shouts a hello, and sometimes approaches a rolled-down car window to chat.
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Fitzpatrick's lifelong residency in the Eighth District has become a cornerstone of his campaign. He regularly accuses his opponent, Patrick Murphy, 32, of Bristol Township, of moving into the area in the last two years to advance his political ambitions.
"I'm in my first term in Congress, and I think Pat's been running for Congress longer than I have," Fitzpatrick quipped during a debate.
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Fitzpatrick's ties to the district are as old as the Highland Park section of Levittown, where his parents moved from New York in 1957. The fifth of eight children and the first son born to Jim, a pharmaceuticals salesman, and Mary, a homemaker, Fitzpatrick became the family's first Republican when he registered to vote during the Reagan administration.
"The philosophy of the national Democratic Party came so far left that many of my generation felt uncomfortable with it," he said.
Personable and engaging, Fitzpatrick is known to treat constituents who visit Washington like dignitaries. Mike Dillon, 15, stopped by while at a student conference in the summer of 2005.
"He gave me half an hour to talk with him about the issues," said Dillon, a high school sophomore from Middletown Township who attended the Doylestown debate. "He was genuinely interested."
Fitzpatrick said his votes reflected that.
"Whether you agree or disagree with me," he said, "I want to assure you I cast those votes on your behalf, believing that I was doing the right thing."
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