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A congressman in a competitive district in Pennsylvania mentioned he’d depart the Republican Party if his state carried out open main elections.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., a average who has bucked occasion strains on a few of President Donald Trump‘s key initiatives, together with voting in opposition to the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act, is looking for re-election in a purple district he has managed for eight years.
Fitzpatrick shared in an interview with Punchbowl News’ Jake Sherman and Anna Palmer his “disdain for ideologues and partisans” and mentioned it was “ignorant to subscribe to a party.”
“Countless people go to the floor saying I really want to vote for this, but I got to worry about my primary,” Fitzpatrick mentioned. “It’s killing our country. It’s killing good policy, and we got to fix that.”
NEW POLL REVEALS HOW PENNSYLVANIA DEMS FEEL ABOUT FETTERMAN BUCKING HIS PARTY
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., speaks to reporters exterior the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., Sept. 29, 2023, after the House didn’t move a short lived funding invoice to stop a authorities shutdown. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Sherman requested why he doesn’t simply run as an impartial. Fitzpatrick mentioned his state has a closed main, which means solely registered occasion voters can vote in primaries, which he deemed an obstacle. If Pennsylvania’s main system had been open, Fitzpatrick mentioned he would “100%” depart the GOP.
“But you can run as an independent,” Sherman requested. “There’s some way to do it, isn’t there?”
Fitzpatrick mentioned it wasn’t doable in Pennsylvania.
FETTERMAN RECEIVES NO SUPPORT FOR RE-ELECTION FROM PENNSYLVANIA HOUSE DEMOCRATS: REPORT
Sen. John Fetterman speaks to reporters on the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., March 3, 2026, following a briefing by Trump administration officers on U.S. strikes on Iran. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu)
“Do you want to forfeit your right to vote in 50% of elections?” Fitzpatrick mentioned, referring to what would occur if voters registered as Independent.
Fitzpatrick additionally talked about that he was “upset” when folks criticized Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., who has usually voted with Republicans on key points. Fetterman has been vocal about his criticism of his Democratic colleagues, comparable to their technique to shut the federal government all the way down to push for healthcare negotiations final fall.
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Rep. Kevin Kiley, I-Calif., sharply criticized President Donald Trump’s warning to Iran posted on social media Tuesday. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc)
In the 119th Congressional legislative session, there is just one U.S. House of Representatives member who identifies as an Independent — Kevin Kiley, I-Calif. However, when Kiley was first elected, he ran as a Republican.
Meanwhile, within the Senate, there are two Independents — Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Sen. Angus King, I-Maine. While they each keep an Independent standing, each senators caucus with the Democratic Party.
