The only two Republicans defending blue districts have very different playbooks

Two House Republicans, Mike Lawler of New York and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, are seeking re-election in the only districts held by their party that Kamala Harris carried in 2024. With Election Day a week off, both are betting that selective independence from President Donald Trump will carry them through, even as Democrats predict a wave that sweeps them out, according to MS NOW.

Public polling shows each race as essentially tied, and the two parties together have spent over $80 million on advertising there, according to AdImpact. Harris won Lawler's district by 0.6% and Fitzpatrick's by 0.4%, though both Republicans won their own contests comfortably in 2024.

Their tactics differ. Lawler has criticized Trump on Haitian immigrants' protective status, parts of an Iran agreement and easing Russia sanctions, yet he joined Trump at a Rockland County rally and spoke at the Republican convention. Fitzpatrick skipped the convention, has never campaigned beside Trump, lacks his endorsement, and opposed the party's reconciliation package. Voting records complicate the independent image: Congressional Quarterly found Lawler sided with Trump 94% of the time in 2025, while The Philadelphia Inquirer put Fitzpatrick near 77%. Democrats Cait Conley and Bob Harvie are their challengers.

Summarized by PolitiKool from MS NOW’s reporting. Read the full story at MS NOW →