PA Primary Reform ‘Opens the Door’ to House Republican Changing Parties: ‘Told Us… He Would Do’

LEFT: Brian Fitzpatrick (Screenshot) RIGHT: Donald Trump (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Punchbowl’s Jake Sherman noted this week that the recent move by Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) to support opening his state’s party primaries to unaffiliated voters “opens the door” for Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) to officially change parties.

Fitzpatrick, who is married to Fox News senior White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich, shared a post from local Pennsylvania reporter John Cole on Monday, which read, “Gov. Josh Shapiro backs a bill that would open Pennsylvania’s primary elections to unaffiliated voters. HB 280, authored by state Rep. Jared Solomon, passed the state House by a 115-88 vote on Tuesday.” Cole added:

“I support it,” Shapiro told me on Saturday.

Fitzpatrick added, “Thank you, Governor. This is the single most important thing we need to do to unify our country. I’ve authored the federal version of this bill, the Let America Vote Act. It’s my most important piece of legislation. Every American citizen must have the right to vote in every taxpayer-funded election. Period.”

Sherman then weighed in and offered his take on what the primary rule change means for Fitzpatrick’s future. Sherman wrote, “more importantly, opens the door for Fitzpatrick to become an independent, which he told us on Fly Out Day he would do.”

Sherman was referring to an April interview he had with Fitzpatrick, a GOP moderate, about some of his frustrations with his own party and Trump:

Jake: “Why don’t you just become an Independent?”

Fitzpatrick: “Because I live in a closed primary state.”

Jake: “Would you if you didn’t?”

Fitzpatrick: “100% … 100%”

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