Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick's campaign ran attack ads citing self-published articles written by a convicted felon who has received payments from the congressman's campaign since 2010, Politico reported Wednesday, Sept. 30.
The investigation, first reported by Politico, identified eight articles posted on Patch under the byline of Dave Sommers, a retired local journalist from Levittown. Fitzpatrick's campaign has paid Sommers since 2010, and Sommers attended the congressman's June 2026 wedding. The campaign's television and digital ads cited Sommers' headlines as independent news coverage.
Sommers' articles, posted beginning in late February, all targeted Bucks County Commissioner Bob Harvie, the Democratic candidate challenging Fitzpatrick in Pennsylvania's First Congressional District. The pieces called Harvie "divisive," "arrogant" and a "hack." One accused Harvie of wanting "more data centers in Bucks County."
Fitzpatrick's ads quoted those headlines directly. A June television spot cited "Bob Harvie calls himself a king." A September digital ad quoted "Bob Harvie has his FBI files but refuses to release them," the Politico investigation found.
Sommers' record and Fitzpatrick ties
Sommers was sentenced in August 2019 to six months in prison and six months of house arrest for trafficking protected diamondback terrapins, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Prosecutors alleged he made more than $500,000 over six years selling the federally protected turtles online. He was ordered to pay $250,000 in restitution.
Federal Election Commission records show the Fitzpatrick campaign, and the campaign of his late brother, former Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick, made payments and reimbursements to Sommers dating to 2010. Brian Fitzpatrick's campaign paid Sommers $500 for "office setup services" as recently as 2022, Politico reported.
Sommers also attended Fitzpatrick's wedding and appeared alongside the congressman at a March 2025 St. Patrick's Day parade, according to social media posts cited in the Politico report. In 2022, Sommers was charged with stealing an election sign supporting a GOP primary challenger.
Harvie campaign responds
Harvie's campaign manager, Dan McCormick, told the Bucks County Beacon that the campaign had sent cease-and-desist letters over the ads in July.
"Brian Fitzpatrick is worse than the rest of the Washington swamp because he pretends to be different, but the receipts show he is corrupt to the core," Harvie said in a statement responding to the Politico report.
On Aug. 5, Harvie filed a defamation lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania against Defending America PAC and its president, Chris Pack. The suit alleges the PAC published false statements claiming Harvie was under FBI investigation. Harvie is seeking more than $150,000 in damages, according to the Bucks County Courier Times.
Harvie testified before a federal grand jury in September 2022 as a witness in a public corruption probe involving Falls Township and the Pennsbury School District. According to his lawsuit, he was not the target of any investigation and was never charged.
The probe ended without charges against anyone.
No comment from Fitzpatrick
Neither Sommers nor Fitzpatrick's campaign responded to Politico's requests for comment. The Bucks County Beacon also reported it was unable to reach Fitzpatrick.
Reilly Richardson, a spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), responded by pointing to a report that Harvie had used "known Democrat activists" as "concerned voters" in his own ads.
The House Majority PAC has called the PA-01 race a "statistical tie" ahead of the November election, according to the Bucks County Beacon. Defending America PAC faces a Tuesday, Oct. 6 deadline to respond to Harvie's defamation lawsuit.
