Lugar Center: Fitzpatrick Ranked As Most Bipartisan Member For The 116th Congress

This Bucks County Republican set another record for bipartisanship. 

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Bucks) ranked as the most bipartisan member of the U.S. House during the 116th Congress, from 2019-2020, according to the Bipartisan Index from the Lugar Center and the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University

“Although partisan combat between the parties and their leaderships reached a crescendo during the 116th Congress, individual members of Congress worked on legislation with their opposing party counterparts with surprising frequency,” said Lugar Center Policy Director, Dan Diller. “The Bipartisan Index scores show that despite the embittered partisan climate, members still sought out bipartisan partnerships in the run-up to the 2020 election — usually below the radar of the national news cycle.”

Fitzpatrick’s 6.839 score on the Bipartisan Index is the highest full-Congress score recorded. 

“Hyper-partisanship is the single biggest threat facing our Nation. Bipartisanship is the only remedy that will save and heal our nation,” Fitzpatrick said in a press release. “Which of these paths one chooses determines whether they desire to be part of the problem or part of the solution.”

“If one chooses partisanship and condemns those who think differently, they are part of the problem. If one chooses bipartisanship and seeks to build bridges with those who think differently, they are part of the solution,” he continued. “I have chosen, and will continue to choose, the path of bipartisanship and problem solving because I love the United States of America, the greatest country on Earth.”

Fitzpatrick was also named the most bipartisan member of Congress last year, after the first year in the 116th Congress. 

During the previous session of Congress, Fitzpatrick finished in second place, only trailing Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), who has since retired.

During Fitzpatrick’s 2020 successful reelection bid, he often promoted the #1 bipartisan rating from the Lugar Center in TV ads

Only four additional members of Pennsylvania’s House delegation cracked the top 100 during the 116th Congress. Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-Lackawanna) was the second highest in the PA delegation and ranked as the 29th most bipartisan member, followed by Rep. Conor Lamb (D-Allegheny) ranked as the 45th most bipartisan member, then Rep. G.T. Thompson (R-Centre) ranked as the 69th most bipartisan member, and Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-Allegheny) finishing as the 84th most bipartisan member of Congress. 

Cartwright and Fitzpatrick, who are listed as the two highest on the bipartisan scale in the state for the previous Congress, are also the lone two incumbents in PA to win districts that the opposing presidential nominee carried. 

Fitzpatrick defeated Democratic challenge Christina Finello by 13 points in 2020, while Joe Biden carried the 1st Congressional District over Donald Trump by nearly 6 points, according to Daily Kos. Cartwright defeated GOP challenger Jim Bognet by just over 3.5 points, while Trump bested Biden by just under 4.5 points in the 8th Congressional District in 2020. 

Below is the bipartisan rankings for the entire PA House Delegation in the 116th Congress for the 437 House members scored. 

The Lugar Center also provided bipartisan scores for the U.S. Senate and both Pennsylvania Senators found themselves in the middle of the 100 member chamber. Sen. Pat Toomey (R) finished in 43th most bipartisan member of the Senate, while Sen. Bob Casey (D) finished in 51st most bipartisan member of the Senate.

3 Responses

  1. Fitz has never done anything noteworthy throughout his entire time here in PA. Pretty sure every single road in his district is in awful condition (potholes everywhere). “Bipartisan” is funny considering he was cavorting a *known racist* and optimizing his strategies alongside a *well known racist*. I also seem to recall him voting in favor of the awful tax reform plan (that effectively hog-tied the middle class from continuing to improve their lives. Can’t have people becoming more educated, making more money and having ideas. )

    If you notice now, they never approve anything other than new banks in middle to low-class neighborhoods. Banks are at every corner. Why do neighborhoods need 50 different banks and nothing else? Why aren’t things being built for people to actually DO things? Meanwhile in upper-class areas, they’ve remained the same and actually *improved*.

    I also see hideous advertisements/billboards everywhere now. For example, there is this gigantic PURPLE “3-D” sign near Oxford Valley Mall that is an eyesore. It’s a billboard only designed to….advertise more useless businesses. (When I say it’s ugly, IT’S UGLY). The whole area reeks and looks like it’s run by a negligent group of politicians.

    Can we get someone in office that actually LIFTS people up and STOPS investing solely in self-dealing businesses? We don’t need more banks or ugly billboards. For starters, we want roads that are drivable. Everything is exactly as it was 25 years ago. Nothing ever gets improved.

    (p.s. if you live in the bucks county area, please take pictures of all of the dilapidated , uncared areas. Take pictures of the potholes. Take pictures of every single ugly, useless bank that’s opened up in Suburban areas. )

    1. Pretty ironic about the roads being bad. Guess who is on the INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE BTW.

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