Fitzpatrick makes it official: He's running
By: MANASEE WAGH
Bucks County Courier Times
Surrounded by his family, the former congressman said he's ready to make another bid to represent the 8th District.
Mike Fitzpatrick formally announced before a large crowd of cheering supporters Saturday morning that he is running for Congress.
As he stepped up to the dais on a lawn near St. Mary Medical Center in Middletown, where he was treated for colon cancer in 2008, more than 300 supporters broke into chants of "Run, Mike, run!"
Surrounded by his family, Fitzpatrick said he's ready to try for the Eighth District seat once again after beating cancer into remission. The Republican candidate ran in 2006 but lost to Democrat Patrick Murphy, D-8. He faces a crowded field of Republicans hoping to snag the nomination.
"Being away has given me a fresh new outlook and a very clear vision,'' said Fitzpatrick. "Eighteen months ago, I did not expect to run again for public office. But I also didn't expect to see the runaway growth in the federal government, our national debt exploding, and so many fine Americans unemployed and underemployed."
His remarks were partially marred by a heckler in the crowd who repeatedly shouted, "How are you going to fix health care?" and other remarks as the crowd shushed him repeatedly and renewed their cries of, "run, Mike, run!"
The heckler left before the event was over.
Many in the crowd said they are unhappy with the current shape health care reform is taking.
Bill Quinn is a small business owner in Bristol. He said Fitzpatrick's years of community involvement in Bucks County shows that he listens to what people want.
"He's already done a great job. I'm looking for him to be a voice for Bucks County because he's in touch and involved in everything," said Quinn.
He has fears about the current health care reform agenda.
"We don't know how it's going to affect our taxes and premiums. Small business owners will get hit hard. I'm not rich. I can't afford to have taxes go up significantly," Quinn said.
Fitzpatrick said he believes the nation is heading in the wrong direction and that Congress is failing to properly address mounting job losses.
"We have to reform the health care industry. We don't need government to take over medical decisions that should be made by patients and their doctors. We need to empower patients and reduce costs," he said.
Fitzpatrick wants medical liability reform, he said. Furthermore, the system should be "permitting individuals and businesses to form associations to buy health insurance at lower rates, he said.
Neil Samuels, deputy chairman of the Bucks County Democratic Committee, said he thinks voters are better off with Murphy.
"In these tough economic times, I think voters will go with the Army veteran fighting for good jobs in Bucks County over the serial politician who voted repeatedly to raise his own salary and to raise Bucks County property taxes," he said in an e-mail to the newspaper.
Kate Hansen, communications director for Patrick Murphy, responded in an e-mail, "Mike Fitzpatrick must be counting on massive voter amnesia - the people of the 8th District already rejected the failed Bush-Cheney-Fitzpatrick economic policies that got us into this mess in the first place."
Republican Rob Mitchell, who withdrew his candidacy for Congress in the Eighth District, is now backing Fitzpatrick. The self-proclaimed "Tea Party" candidate and businessman from Doylestown has said he wants to help Fitzpatrick beat Murphy in the race.
As Bucks County Commissioner, Fitzpatrick was involved in preserving more than 11,000 acres of natural spaces. He oversaw efforts to make upgrades to the county's outdated emergency management system and played a role in the five-county region's anti-terrorism task force.
In 2004 he joined Congress for two years, supporting federal educational funding for local school districts and fighting Republican efforts to scale back Medicaid spending.
He also worked to restore cuts to Amtrak funding and worked to open the National Veterans Cemetery in Bucks County.
The lifelong Bucks County resident, lawyer and graduate of Bishop Egan High School said he's eager to start work in Congress.
"I think that we need someone in Congress who's more concerned with the citizens of Bucks County than with extraneous photo opportunities. We don't need someone in Congress who's a rubber stamp for bad national policy or misplaced priorities," he said.
