Republican Andrew Meehan Looks To Unseat Congressman Fitzpatrick

Republican congressional candidate Andrew Meehan decided to enter the race last May. Sitting in his shed and catching up on the latest news, Meehan came across several articles detailing incumbent Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick’s support for the Equality Act 

After talking to some politically like-minded individuals, Meehan decided he would run for office, mounting a primary campaign against two-term Fitzpatrick, who has painted himself as an “independent voice,” for a chance to represent Pennsylvania’s First Congressional District. Meehan officially announced his candidacy on July 4 and has been working to tell voters what he stands for and why he is the man they should vote for in the primary on June 2.

“I didn’t want to go through my life not standing for what I believe in,” explained Meehan, 56, who has run his own financial advisory company since 1998.

The energy Meehan brings to the campaign is obvious, but the first-time candidate said he knows what he stands for, and isn’t afraid to stand by his positions.

“I want to be a voice for the people in these counties who feel like they do not have a voice right now,” Meehan said.

By improving messaging and leadership from the county-level down, Meehan wants to re-energize and bring passion back into the local Republican base, which he believes has dissipated with Fitzpatrick’s time in office.

“I’m going to do the good and right things for the people,” Meehan said.

Some key priorities include reducing regulation on businesses, removing government from private transactions, and getting the economy to the same level it was at before COVID-19 took hold.

“I see a lot of problems with the current [health care] systems,” Meehan said, touching on the first of several major policy points he would detail during an hour-long interview.

The Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, amongst other problems, artificially inflates costs and causes serious problems for Americans all over the country, he said.

To get healthcare back on track, Meehan suggested getting the government out of the space while creating a place for consumers in the health care industry.

Meehan said he is not oblivious to the changes COVID-19 has brought to Bucks County, either. If elected, Meehan would begin by lobbying local leadership to end local shutdown measures.

“The destruction these have wrought upon the economy is awful,” he said.

“We don’t need massive federal bills like my opponent [Fitzpatrick] is proposing,” Meehan said.

Instead, the Republican believes decisions for how to handle the pandemic and other major issues should fall to states, where they can be made closer to ground level. This state-level governance sustains throughout Meehan’s platform.

When it comes to the topic of abortion and women’s right to choose, Meehan has a clear position personally. Roe v. Wade, Meehan argued, should have been kicked back to the states so the decision could be handled at a more local level. More succinctly, he feels that Roe v. Wade was a constitutional overreach by the court.

Meehan said he would stand up for legislation declaring the first heartbeat as the last moment an abortion could be had, except in cases of rape or severe danger for the mother’s life.

Where marijuana is concerned, Meehan would call for immediate action from Trump to deschedule cannabis, essentially decriminalizing it through an executive order.

“I believe that marijuana is no more destructive to our society than alcohol,” Meehan said.

Decriminalizing the substance would put it in its rightful place as a discretionary substance for consenting adults to consume as they wish, Meehan argued.

“It is passed time to get out of the drug war with marijuana,” he added.

One thing Meehan has made clear throughout the course of his campaign is his unbridled support for the president and he plans to continue that support. The two are in total lockstep in terms of priorities, Meehan explained. He noted that he believes the president has done a great job so far.

One spot where Meehan disagrees with the president is on the subject of fiscal responsibility. The president’s part in expanding the massive federal deficit is something Meehan looks at with trepidation and a little suspicion. That doesn’t mean his support is fleeting, though.

“I plan to support the president,” Meehan said.

Meehan recognizes the gulf between his philosophies and those of the opposing party.

“You’ve seen what happens around the world with the slow crawl of liberalism,” Meehan said, pointing at countries like Venezuela to paint his picture.

In a pitch to a member of the Democratic Party, Meehan said simply: “be careful what you wish for.”

Like the president, Meehan is no stranger to controversy. A few months ago, the Fitzpatrick and Meehan campaigns sparred over Meehan’s controversial past and online behavior.

In evaluating his controversial social media posts, it is important, Meehan stated, to look at the context of the messaging and not just the text of the messages.

Pointing at the messaging of local Republican leadership denouncing Meehan for “unbecoming” behavior, the candidate said racist or insensitive things were the furthest things from his mind.

“I come out against people who say things that are racist or insensitive,” Meehan said.

Meehan will be on the ballot looking to defeat incumbent Fitzpatrick.

 

Editor’s Note: Publisher/Editor Tom Sofield’s father, Chris, is Meehan’s campaign manager.

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