Finello Concedes In U.S. House Race In Bucks Co.

IVYLAND, PA — With just a few thousand votes left to be counted, Democrat Christina Finello has conceded defeat in her race against U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick in Pennsylvania's 1st Congressional District.

Friday afternoon, the incumbent Republican had about 57 percent of the vote in Bucks County, leading Finello by a count of 219,629 to 162,128, according to unofficial results. In the sliver of Montgomery County included in the district, Fitzpatrick led more narrowly, 24,219 to 23,886.

The Associated Press had called the race for Fitzpatrick as of Wednesday evening.

"I got into this race to be a fighter. A fighter for Pennsylvanians who deserve affordable healthcare. A fighter for our families and economy struggling through this pandemic. A fighter for the people of Bucks and Montgomery County, where I have grown up and who have given me so much," Finello said Friday afternoon.

"While I won’t be heading to Washington, I won’t stop fighting for these priorities and our communities. I wish Brian Fitzpatrick well in his third term and thank all of the volunteers and staff who made this campaign a reality. It was a real team effort and the privilege of a lifetime. I couldn’t have done it without you all, and hope I made you proud.”

Late Tuesday, Fitzpatrick had posted a video to social media thanking voters.

"We're looking really, really good right now," he said. "Overwhelming numbers ... . The support that we've seen so far and the numbers that we've seen so far have been overwhelmingly positive."

The race, for one of just six U.S. House seats held by Republicans in districts won by Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016, had been watched closely by political observers. But while polls in the spring, and again close to election time, suggested a neck-and-neck race, the final result was closer to polling over the summer that had showed Fitzpatrick with a double-digit lead.

Fitzpatrick, 46, of Middletown, is a former FBI agent who has highlighted his public service. While he has toed the GOP line on issues like abortion rights and President Donald Trump's impeachment, he has split with the party to support some gun-safety bills, same sex marriage and civil protections based on sexual orientation.

He voted against a Republican-led effort to dismantle the Affordable Care Act (still called Obamacare by some) but supported a Trump-backed tax plan that critics like Finello say endangered the law.