Democratic Congressional Candidate Drops Out, Leaving Only One

And then there was one.

Bensalem Township U.S. Army veteran Ashley Ehasz is the lone remaining Democrat in her party’s primary race for the First Congressional District.

On Tuesday, U.S. Navy veteran Paul Fermo, of Lower Makefield Township, announced he was ending his primary bid.

Fermo did not submit petitions to get on the ballot, while Ehasz did.

“This was not an easy decision. I have spent my life serving this country and I believe I have more to give. But good leaders know there’s a time to lead and a time to follow and when to do which,” Fermo said in Tuesday morning email to supporters.

In his note, Fermo said he believes a “unified Democratic party” is the key to success and his running against Ehasz would only hurt the cause.

Democratic sources said Fermo didn’t gain much traction since he entered the race in October 2021.

Fundraising data from the end of 2021 showed Ehasz raised $115,519 and Fermo raised $109,300.

Levittown resident Eric Bruno entered the Democratic primary and exited earlier this year.

Outside of Ehasz, no other Democrats are currently in the race.

Democratic and Republican insiders said Fermo dropping out of the race and clearing the field will only help the Ehasz. It will allow Ehasz to focus on the November general election and fundraising for the high-profile race for the seat held by Republicans for the past decade.

Fermo flew the F/A-18 Hornet and F/A-18 Super Hornet jets and launched from aircraft carriers during his two-decade-long career. He served tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. Additionally, he held a position advising the joint chiefs of staff at the Pentagon.

Following his military career, Fermo worked managing small and large businesses around the world. His campaign said he presently works as an executive overseeing business development at a small technology company.

Fermo, who is married to a military veteran, has three kids. He is the grandson of what his campaign said were undocumented Italian immigrants. His dad was a 36-year military officer and his mom was a teacher.

Fitzpatrick will be fighting off several Republican challengers in the primary, but he has the advantage of being an incumbent and having a large war chest.

Fitzpatrick has performed strongly in his three past general elections and easily beaten back Republican primary opponents.

Below is the text of Fermo’s note to supporters:

Throughout this campaign many of you have heard me comment that this race is not about me, it’s about restoring our Congress with good, principled leaders who care more about this country and our democratic principles than their own reelection. Brian Fitzpatrick has not been that leader for PA-1 and we deserve better.

Many of you have also heard me comment that experience matters. And in my experience as a military commander and as a leader of a small business I have learned that teams perform best when players understand what will make the mission more successful and what role they must play in order to enable that success. In light of that experience, I believe the best way for our mission to be successful is to have a unified Democratic party. And I believe the best role I can play to enable that success is to be a team player by doing my part to avoid a contested primary that would undermine this race, provide the opposition with unearned ammunition, and potentially inflict collateral damage on other important state races in the process. For that reason I have decided to take a step back and lend my support to Ashley Ehasz.

This was not an easy decision. I have spent my life serving this country and I believe I have more to give. But good leaders know there’s a time to lead and a time to follow and when to do which. I am so grateful for the support I have received over the past few months, your faith in me has meant the world. And while I may be stepping back from this race, I am not going away. I am going to do everything I can to make sure we keep the House and ensure Democrats win in Southeast Pennsylvania in 2022, from canvassing to phone banking and more. As we say in the fighter pilot community, “fight’s on!”

Respectfully,
Paul Fermo

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