Boockvar challenges Fitzpatrick in election for congressional seat
Incumbent Republican Mike Fitzpatrick will face Democratic opponent Kathy Boockvar for the U.S. Congressional seat of District 8 in the election Nov. 6.
The District 8 seat includes all of Bucks County, along with sections of Montgomery County and Northeast Philadelphia.
Fitzpatrick, 49, was elected to the seat representing southern Bucks County in 2004. Before being elected, Fitzpatrick was a Bucks County commissioner for 10 years.
A graduate of Bishop Egan High School in Fairless Hills, Fitzpatrick then went on to St. Thomas University for a bachelor’s degree. He then earned a law degree from Dickinson School of Law at Penn State University.
Fitzpatrick is most notably known for keeping Medicaid from being scaled back, bringing flood relief to residents in the Neshaminy Creek area and leading the effort to bring the National Veterans Cemetery to Bucks County.
Fitzpatrick could not be reached for comment.
His opponent, Boockvar, 43, is a resident of Doylestown and is an attorney and mediator. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and then graduated from American University with a law degree.
“I’ve spent my entire career working for people,” Boockvar said, “[and] that’s what I’ll do for them in Congress.”
As an attorney and mediator, Boockvar said she has assisted families and veterans with navigating Social Security and Medicare. For 11 years, Boockvar owned her own law firm and said she knows the challenges that face small business owners.
“I’ve always helped people with their livelihood and families,” Boockvar said. “I want to turn [the priority] back to be about the people of Bucks and Montgomery counties.”
If elected, Boockvar hopes to help stimulate the economy and job growth by restructuring the corporate tax rate so there are fewer loopholes and the tax base can be lowered. Addi- tionally, she hopes to pass legislation that encourages businesses to create jobs in the U.S. rather than sending them abroad.
“We need to end the support to businesses that send jobs overseas,” Boockvar said. “The priority has been in all the wrong directions.”
the problem, said, is repre-
Part of Boockvar sentatives not bridging the gap between the parties and refusing to overcome obstacles.
“They’re spending so much time in Congress arguing on politics,” Boockvar said.
She said she believes with her background as a mediator, she can start overcoming obstacles and finding compromises.
“I take the word representative very seriously. ... It’s become all about an agenda of obstacles.”