Over nearly 10 years in Congress , Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick has cultivated an image as a middle-of-the-road GOP lawmaker who operates above the partisan fray and is willing to buck President Donald Trump .

It's a formula that has allowed Fitzpatrick, who is among the most moderate lawmakers on Capitol Hill according to his hometown newspaper, to win swing voters and consistently outperform his party in a highly competitive district that opted for Joe Biden in 2020 and Kamala Harris in 2024. But in a year when Republican candidates across the country are being weighed down by Trump, Fitzpatrick is facing a stiff challenge from Democrat Bob Harvie in Pennsylvania's 1st Congressional District, and testing whether his personal brand can carry him in a difficult national political environment.

"Brian Fitzpatrick is Brian Fitzpatrick. I'm not Donald Trump. I'm not anybody else. And that's the way voters should approach this," Fitzpatrick told CNBC. "I'm not happy with [Trump]. I'm not happy with his tone.…