Politics & Government

Fitzpatrick Named Most Bipartisan Politician In New Ranking

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick is the most bipartisan member of the House, according to a Georgetown University ranking.

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick represents Bucks County and a sliver of Montgomery County.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick represents Bucks County and a sliver of Montgomery County. (Office of Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick)

BUCKS COUNTY, PA — Republican Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick has been named the most bipartisan member of Congress, according to a new ranking.

The Lugar Center and McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University released their new bipartisan index scores for the 116th session (2019-2020) of Congress. The study measures how often a member of Congress introduces bills that attract co-sponsors from members of the other party, and how often they co-sponsor a bill introduced from across the aisle.

Fitzpatrick, who co-sponsored 884 bills that were introduced by Democrats during the 116th session, received a score of 6.839, the highest score ever recorded since the ranking began in 2015.

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“Hyper-partisanship is the single biggest threat facing our Nation. Bipartisanship is the only remedy that will save and heal our nation,” Fitzpatrick said in a statement. “Which of these paths one chooses determines whether they desire to be part of the problem or part of the solution. If one chooses partisanship and condemns those who think differently, they are part of the problem."

Sen. Susan Collins received the top ranking for a Senate member. The moderate Republican from Maine has previously sided with Democrats on a number of hot-button issues, including the decision to impeach Donald Trump. She was one of a few members in her party not to vote for Trump in 2016, but remains hush on who she voted for in the 2020 election.

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Like Sen. Collins, Fitzpatrick set a new index record for the highest score ever for a congressional representative.

Democrats scored higher in the House while Republicans ranked better in the Senate.

The nonprofit Lugar Center at Georgetown University was founded by former U.S. Senator Richard Lugar, who represented Indiana from 1977 to 2013 and was known for breaking with traditional Republicans on issues such as nuclear proliferation and climate change. He died in 2019 of natural causes.

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