GOP primary pick

ONCE THE RACE for the Republican nomination in the 8th Congressional District got going late last year, the field of hopefuls quickly swelled to nine candidates. Each had his or her eyes on riding a primary election victory into battle against two-term Democratic incumbent Patrick Murphy.

Then Mike Fitzpatrick, former Bucks County commissioner and one-term congressman who lost his seat to Murphy in 2006, decided to enter the Republican primary in search of a rematch with his old nemesis. Suddenly, the primary dynamic changed. The GOP field that had been nine shrank by more than half. As the run for the nomination enters its final days, voters are choosing from among four candidates: Fitzpatrick, Gloria Carlineo, Ira Hoffman and James Jones.

This is a rather impressive field of accomplished individuals. Carlineo, 40, overcame the difficulties of moving to America from her native Puerto Rico when she was a teenager and became an attorney. Hoffman, 54, has an M.B.A. from Harvard and runs his own financial planning company. Jones, also 54, went from a poor childhood in rural Arkansas to being CEO of a human resources consulting company. Fitzpatrick, 46, is the most familiar of the group, with his past service to the county and the 8th District complemented by his work with a prominent county law firm.

Voters in the Republican primary face the challenge of nominating the "best" candidate, as well as basing their decision on which of the four stands the best chance of defeating the incumbent.

Opposition to the policies of the Obama administration in general and Rep. Murphy's support of those policies in particular is a unanimous sentiment within the GOP group. The four also are on the same wave length when they talk about solutions: spending less, lowering the deficit, creating smaller government in general.

In comparing the four candidates, all of whom visited our office to be interviewed, our editorial board came to the near unanimous conclusion that Fitzpatrick demonstrated the best grasp of the issues and best articulated his positions.

That's not to say there were no concerns. Perhaps the biggest hurdle the one-time congressman has to jump is his connection to the much-maligned administration of Barack Obama's predecessor, George W. Bush. Some would say it was that connection more than anything else that led to Fitzpatrick's loss to Murphy four years ago. Is this a "new" Fitzpatrick we're seeing in 2010? Or can he ever shake his link to the old regime that many blame for some of the major problems the nation faces today?

Another nagging question for us: Does Fitzpatrick, or any of the other candidates for that matter, really understand and represent the mainstream Republican Party in Bucks County, which isn't that far off the middle of the political spectrum?

Fitzpatrick's experience, which probably worked against him in 2006, nevertheless cannot be ignored. Our hope is that he would call on that experience to build on what he did right during his brief time in Washington while learning from what he did wrong. Can he be an independent representative? Probably as much as any lawmaker can be. Total independence from the party may sound ideal in theory, but it is impossible in practice. Again, having been part of the organized chaos that is government in Washington, Fitzpatrick would understand that better than his primary rivals.

This has been a gratifying campaign. The decision of the GOP not to issue a formal endorsement and the fact that three exceptional candidates chose to stay in the race and square off against the better-known Fitzpatrick resulted in a primary that has meant something. This time around, registered Republicans have a real choice on May 18.

Our choice is Mike Fitzpatrick. For us, he represents the pick of the GOP field and gives his party the best chance to reclaim the 8th District seat in November.