Democrat Announces Run For 1st District Congress Seat

LOWER MAKEFIELD TOWNSHIP, PA — Debbie Wachspress, a Democratic member of the Pennsbury School Board, has announced plans to run for Republican U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick's seat in Congress.

Wachspress, of Lower Makefield, announced her 2020 intentions at an event at her home in Lower Makefield Township this week.

Currently serving her second term as a director on the Pennsbury board, Wachspress hopes to represent all of Bucks County and part of Montgomery County in the 1st District seat, which Fitzpatrick won re-election to in November.

Fitzpatrick's victory was watched closely by national pundits. Fitzpatrick has positioned himself as a moderate Republican in what observers call a swing district that Democrats believe they can pick up.

He defeated Democratic challenger Scott Wallace, 168,841 to 160,098.

Wachspress worked for the past two years as director of relationship development at The Peace Center, a Bucks County nonprofit that teaches children and adults skills in non-violent conflict resolution.

In 2017, she co-founded Lower Bucks Indivisible, part of a nationwide grassroots movement to elect progressive leaders and support progressive policies.

She previously worked for the Boys & Girls Clut of Trenton as director of community engagement, where she recruited mentors and tutors for at-risk youth and helped raise funds for a new youth center there.

She was also a statewide leader for the Million Mom March, which formed in response to the shooting at Columbine High School.

Wachspress earned her bachelor's degree in political science at Rutgers University and a maser's in political science and public policy at Rutgers' Eagleton Institute of Politics. She and her husband, Dan, moved to Bucks County in 2002 and have three children — Jacob, 22, Anna, 20 and Ben, 17.

She is the second Democrat to announce plans to challenge Fitzpatrick, joining fellow Lower Makefield resident Judi Reiss. On the Republican side, Fitzpatrick is being challenged by financial planner Andrew Meehan, who is attacking him from the right for not being conservative enough.