Ashley Ehasz Thinks She Can Win First Congressional District

Without a primary challenger, Ashley Ehasz, the Democratic candidate for the First Congressional District, is preparing for the November election.

Ehasz, a 33-year-old Bensalem Township resident, said incumbent GOP Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick’s “time has run out” and she’s ready to lead.

Ehasz will have to raise millions of dollars and, if she faces off against Fitzpatrick, will have to fight his strong name reignition throughout the district, which covers all of Bucks County and part of Montgomery County.

Through the end of April, Ehasz has raised $266,106.17 and had nearly $78,000 in her campaign coffers. Her likely opponent Fitzpatrick ended the same time period with nearly $1.4 million in the bank.

Ehasz, a Lehigh Valley native who moved to Bucks County in July 2021 after leaving the U.S. Army, said she understands the struggles of people in the district because she has experienced them herself and has ideas to fix them.

“We need the leadership to step up,” she said, adding Fitzpatrick has proved he can’t do that.

Ehasz said she was raised by a single mom who struggled and that was her motivation to get a waiver and join the U.S. Army at the age of 17. She earned her college education, became an attack helicopter pilot, and commanded hundreds of servicemembers. Growing up, she spend much time with an aunt who lived in Bucks County.

With inflation top of mind for many, Ehasz said she would focus on looking at how to lower prices and make sure companies aren’t ripping people off, citing alleged price gouging by oil companies.

Ehasz said the Build Back Better proposal, which recently failed in Washington D.C., has plans to reduce the cost of medicine and reducing the cost of childcare.

She also said interest rates need to be adjusted, and she would be sure corporations are held accountable for not paying the same amount families do in the area.

On not passing Build Back Better, she holds Democrats and Republicans accountable. She noted that Fitzpatrick voted against the American Rescue Plan Act in 2021 that helped flow funds amid the pandemic.

When campaigning for November, Ehasz said she has ideas and plans that will reach both Democrats and moderate Republicans.

“I have student loans amd I’ve lived in a world where my parents didn’t get the right mental health and substance abuse treatments they deserved and would have made our family much more prosperous … and I understand the nuance of how complicated life can be. I’ve also served our country and I think that’s something that people of any political ideology can support. I do find my service to country opens up the door to conversation,” she said.

When door knocking, Ehasz said her military service has led to people of both parties being more willing to talk to her.

Democrats have long looked to flip the moderate First Congressional District from red to blue, but they have failed over the past decade. Local and national Democrats have called recruiting of candidates for the seat in the past a “failure.”

Ehasz said she has put a lot on the line to run, and she is passionate that she can win.

“This is a Democratic trending seat,” she said.

Ehasz said she is a “public servant. not a politician.”

Ehasz said she supports the Second Amendment and gun ownership.

“As a former attack pilot, I understand using and owning guns requires responsibility and maturity. I support a ban of assault weapons being in private use. I also support keeping guns out of the hands of abusers and support universal background checks,” she said, noting many pieces of gun safety legislation are popular with the public.

With affordability of housing a growing issue in the district, Ehasz said she supports exploring ways to make it easier for people to find homes that are within their budget. She said she often runs into families who live with their parents or other family members due to cost.

“They have young children at home and they wanted to move back for the great schools Bucks County offers and they wanted to buy a home, but they had to move back with their parents,” she said.

Ehasz said she was only able to buy her home in Bensalem Township because of a loan program for veterans.

She said politicians need to promote policies that allow for construction of housing more people can afford. The candidate said she looks at all the other costs, including child care, health care, and medications when looking to tackle the rising cost of housing.

Ehasz said her focus wouldn’t just be on young people and families, but it would also be on policies that would help keep seniors in their homes.

On immigration, Ehasz said there needs to be a pathway to citizenship for people here illegally who aren’t a threat and can contribute to the nation. She added the immigration system needs to become more efficient.

Speaking of young undocumented immigrants, who are often referred to as “Dreamers,” she said they need to be protected by federal law.

Ehasz said the expected repeal of Roe v. Wade is concerning and she supports protecting abortion by passing a federal law to codify it.

“When we look at the potential for Roe to be overturned, it is not only going to be a devastating moment for the destruction of the sanctity between a woman and anyone who bares a child and their doctor, but it will have economic ramifications that are really though to put into words,” she said.

Ehasz said she “fundamentally believes” Republicans will use an overturn of Roe v. Wade to undo 70 years of civil rights legislation.

Ehasz said she supports public schools and has gone through them in the state. She said she has concerns about book banning at schools where some parents have raised concern over the content and the amount of so-called “dark money” flowing into school board elections.

Ehasz said she supports fully legalizing marijuana, citing many military members and Pennsylvanians who support it.

On student loans, Ehasz said she knows the issue all too well. She is currently working to pay off nearly $70,000 in remaining loans.

“I joined the army, I went to West Point, and I did all the “right things” Republicans said you have to do be able to afford an education,” she said.

She stated she knows the student loan crisis is impacting young people and people with families.

“The systems we have in place need to be looked at again,” she said. “I realize the federal government has a lot of tools at its disposal to deal with this.”

Ehasz said the country should look other types of schools, like technical schools, to educate new members of the workforce.

Report a correction via email | Editorial standards and policies

---

---