Ro Khanna returns to Bucks County as part of an effort to flip Fitzpatrick’s House seat

Some residents of Pennsylvania’s 1st Congressional District say they’ve waited so long for some face-to-face time with their Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick they’ll talk to anyone who will listen to their concerns at this point.

Even a congressman who represents Silicon Valley, one of the country’s wealthiest districts.

“Bottom line, I want Fitzpatrick to be ashamed and embarrassed and humiliated,” said Cindy Mylchreest, 62, as she waited in line to join more than 300 people in a popular Levittown wedding venue for a town hall led by U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna (D., Calif.) and hosted by Indivisible Bucks County.

Khanna is one of several Democrats fanning the state in recent weeks with eyes on battleground House districts the party hopes to flip in the 2026 midterms. Despite being a California resident, Khanna hoped his Bucks County upbringing — he’s a graduate of Council Rock High School, and some of his old teachers were in the audience — could help highlight what’s at risk with the proposed Republican budget bill.

He spent Saturday denouncing proposed healthcare cuts in Allentown, another battleground community, while finding common ground with President Donald Trump supporters by committing to codify an executive order aiming to keep prescription drug prices in line with those paid by similar countries.

Sunday’s crowd, however, was already a friendly one, yearning to connect with like-minded voters over three hours and searching for guidance on how to mobilize.

When Khanna said he didn’t have to worry about going to the doctor growing up or cuts to public education, he received a roaring round of applause.

“Why can’t this country give every kid the chance it gave me and my family?” he said.

While waiting in line to get in, Langhorne resident Susan Page, 77, said she wanted to send Fitzpatrick and other elected officials like him a message.

“They think Elon Musk is gonna come after them but we’re the ones going to come after them,” she said.

Levittown is part of five-term Republican Brian Fitzpatrick’s district, which Democrats hope to finally flip in 2026. Fitzpatrick has long touted his work across the aisle, even working with Khanna on a term-limits bill, and has been voted the most bipartisan member of Congress five years in a row by the apolitical Lugar Center at Georgetown University.

Yet many of his constituents Sunday said they feel Fitzpatrick’s not available to hear their concerns, though his X account did show him at several weekend events in the area, including a luncheon with the United Liberian Association of Bucks County.

Fitzpatrick’s office did not respond to questions regarding criticisms.

Bucks County Commissioner Bob Harvie, a Democrat, has already announced a run against Fitzpatrick, but due to election laws and the structure of the event, the specific race couldn’t be spoken about during the town hall.

Instead, speakers including State Sen. Sharif Street and State Rep. Jim Prokopiak, spoke about the importance of denouncing threats to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act at a time when working families are struggling.

“Simple fact is, it’s harder today to be a middle-class American than it has been in any time since World War II,” said Prokopiak. “That’s partly because of what happens in DC and partly because of what’s been happening in Harrisburg.”

Fall Township resident and retired social worker Laurie LeMott, 68, said between cuts to the United States Agency for International Development, threats to due process, and proposed cuts to Medicaid, she and her husband wanted to know what they should put their energy into.

Those frustrations were apparent during the Khanna-moderated Q&A portion of the event, where dozens of people lined up to vent and ask questions about everything from Democratic messaging to artificial intelligence.

Many voters in the room described being fearful about the future and expressed concern that Fitzpatrick would vote against their interests, joining other Republicans. In a moving exchange, a sixth grader named Sophia asked Khanna if her family was safe in the current political climate.

“My grandma is on Medicare, and she has diabetes and asthma,” she said, her voice breaking. “My mom is a single mom. She had me without a husband, and I had a donor, and I have tons of half-siblings, but lesbian moms, and I’m scared for all of them.”

Khanna responded by telling the little girl that there are people in power trying to make life harder for people like her mom and grandma, but it wasn’t all hopeless.

“I do believe that if enough people like you and others start to talk out and speak out about it, that people in this country are going to rise up and stand up against the cruelty and prevent it and make sure that you and your family are safe.”