There's Exactly One Congressional Republican Who Supports A Carbon Tax, And He's Barely Hanging On
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick is one of the only congressional carbon tax Republicans, and he's hoping that independent streak will be enough to fend off President Trump's name at the top of the ticket next month. Fitzpatrick is fighting to keep his seat in a prototypical suburban swing district — Pennsylvania's 1st — that Democrats see as a prime opportunity to expand their House majority.
His moderate image on environmental issues and health care, a rarity in the modern GOP, has made for an unusual race against Democratic challenger Christina Finello. And it's drawn national attention from environmental groups, which are boosting Fitzpatrick in hopes that he can lend a bipartisan label to legislation to address everything from climate change to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, of PFAS.
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Perhaps more importantly for environmental groups, Fitzpatrick would be the last congressional Republican who supports a carbon tax — or any significant regulatory or pricing policy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The other, Rep. Francis Rooney (R-Fla.), is retiring. Despite all of that, and his support for the Affordable Care Act, Democrats are betting they can tie Fitzpatrick to Trump and ride the wave, as suburban voters around the country increasingly turn away from the president.
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"Come November, Congressman Fitzpatrick will find that siding with President Trump on issues like the GOP tax giveaway to the wealthiest few at the expense of hardworking Pennsylvanians and his downplaying the seriousness of coronavirus has cost him his seat in Congress," said Courtney Rice, a spokeswoman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Fitzpatrick's record on climate and the environment has been difficult for Finello, his Democratic challenger, to attack in debates and campaign materials. But Trump's pandemic response and Fitzpatrick's 2017 vote for the Republican tax cut bill — which eliminated the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate — have offered plenty of fodder.
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