After four decades of noncompetitive Republican primaries in Bucks County, the times may be changing.

State Rep. Scott Petri of Richboro and 2008 nominee Tom Manion of Doylestown have both stated that they are considering running for the soon-to-be-open 8th congressional district in the 2016 election.

Petri and Manion will join the two declared Democratic candidates, Shaughnessy Naughton and State Rep. Steve Santarsiero, as well as any other candidate who may yet decided to jump into the race.

As Chris Palmer of the Inquirer notes, a primary goes against what has been the norm for Bucks County Republicans, who see contested primaries as counter-productive.

“You’re fighting with yourselves (rather) than against the other party,” said Charles Martin, a county commissioner since 1995.

While Petri and Manion say they are only in the “exploratory” phase, other Republicans, like State Rep. Gene DiGirolamo and Mike Mabin have announced that they will not be entering the race. This does not mean that we will not see more Republican candidates as time goes by.

“I would not be surprised to see one or two or more other people come out and say they’re interested on the Republican side,” said DiGirolamo.

The upcoming race will attract a lot of attention, and Randall Miller, a political science professor at St. Joseph’s University speculated that the cost of victory could exceed $5 million.

The district is currently represented by retiring Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick.