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A congressman in a competitive district in Pennsylvania said he’d leave the Republican Party if his state conducted open primary elections.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., a Republican moderate who has bucked party lines on some of President Donald Trump‘s key initiatives, including voting against the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act, is seeking re-election in a purple district he has controlled for eight years.
Fitzpatrick shared in an interview with Punchbowl News’ Jake Sherman and Anna Palmer his “disdain for ideologues and partisans” and said 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 said. “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 outside the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 29, 2023, after the House failed to pass a temporary funding bill to prevent a government shutdown. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Sherman asked why he does not just run as an independent. Fitzpatrick said his state has a closed primary, meaning only registered party voters can vote in primaries, which he deemed a disadvantage. If Pennsylvania’s primary system were open, Fitzpatrick said he would “100%” leave the GOP.
“But you can run as an independent,” Sherman asked. “There’s some way to do it, isn’t there?”
Fitzpatrick said it wasn’t possible in Pennsylvania.
FETTERMAN RECEIVES NO SUPPORT FOR RE-ELECTION FROM PENNSYLVANIA HOUSE DEMOCRATS: REPORT
Sen. John Fetterman speaks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on March 3, 2026, following a briefing by Trump administration officials on U.S. strikes on Iran. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu)
“Do you want to forfeit your right to vote in 50% of elections?” Fitzpatrick said, referring to what would happen if voters registered as Independent.
Fitzpatrick also mentioned that he was “upset” when people criticized Sen. John Fetterman, D-PA, who has often voted with Republicans on key issues. Fetterman has been vocal about his criticism of his Democratic colleagues such as their strategy to shut the government down to push for health care negotiations last 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 only one U.S. House of Representative member who identifies as an Independent — Kevin Kiley, I-Calif. However, when Kiley was first elected, he ran as a Republican.
Meanwhile, in the Senate, there are two Independents: Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.., and Sen. Angus Cloud, I-Me,. While they both maintain an Independent status, both senators caucus with the Democratic party.