Draft:Lucia Simonelli

Lucia Simonelli
Simonelli canvassing in Levittown PA on
April 25, 2026
Candidate, U.S. Representative for Pennsylvania's 1st congressional district
Personal details
Born
Lansdale, Pennsylvania, U.S.
PartyDemocratic
EducationUniversity of Maryland, PhD (2016)
University of Texas at Austin, BS (2008)
ProfessionMathematician
Based in
Quakertown, PA[1]
WebsiteCampaign website

Lucia Simonelli is a mathematician and candidate for Pennsylvania's 1st congressional district.[2] She is challenging the party-endorsed candidate, Bucks County Commissioner Bob Harvie,[3] for the Democratic Party nomination. Both candidates hope to defeat five-term incumbent Republican Brian Fitzpatrick in the November general election.[4]

A win in this District may determine which party controls the U.S. House of Representatives after January 3, 2027.[5]

Education and early career

Her academic background includes a PhD in Mathematics from the University of Maryland (2016) and a BS in Mathematics from the University of Texas at Austin (2008).[6] After completing her doctorate, she was a postdoctoral fellow in the mathematics section at the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Trieste, Italy.[7][8] From September 2019 until July 2020, she served as AAAS Fellow and scientific advisor to U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse.[6][9]

She is currently employed as Director of Programs at the Carbon Removal Standards Initiative.[10]

Campaign for Congress

Simonelli completed the petition process and qualified for the 2026 PA-01 primary election ballot in March 2026.[11] The primary is set for May 19, 2026.[11]

Simonelli and supporters march in the 2026 Lambertville–New Hope Pridefest parade on May 16, 2026

Former Pennsylvania House Representative Helen Tai,[12][13] Track AIPAC,[14] and three subchapters of Indivisible of Montgomery County[15] have endorsed the Lucia for Congress campaign.[16]

Policy priorities

Simonelli's campaign priorities include election fairness; affordable healthcare, food and utility costs; immigration and climate policy.[17]

Specific, clearly articulated positions differentiating Simonelli from her party-endorsed primary opponent include:

  1. Ending ICE abuses of civil and human rights
  2. Providing Medicare for all
  3. Ensuring community review of proposals for resource-hungry data centers, and
  4. Restoring the Constitutional exercise of war powers.[18]

The Lucia for Congress campaign is operated by Quakertown-based Friends of Lucia.[19] The group organizes or participates in town halls, podcasts, protests, and supporter-hosted house parties to meet, share ideas and spread awareness of electoral issues.[20]

Candidate forums

Moderator commences Harvie-Simonelli candidate forum on April 27, 2026

The League of Women Voters of Bucks County hosted a candidate forum with Simonelli and Harvie on April 27, 2026 at the Middletown Township Building in Langhorne, Pennsylvania.[21][22]

The event marked the first Democratic forum featuring both Simonelli and Harvie since the primary ballot was finalized. It was also Harvie's first public appearance alongside a primary opponent, while Simonelli had participated in several earlier candidate forums during the campaign.[23] The forum was live streamed on Facebook and recorded for subsequent viewers.[24][25]

  • "1st Congressional District election town hall". WHYY. 15 January 2026. Retrieved March 21, 2026.
  • "Elevating Grassroots Voices in a Competitive Primary". YouTube @PA1TownHall. 11 February 2026. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
  • Clark, Kathryn Finegan (11 May 2026). "Democrats, third party candidates appear at Friday Upper Bucks United forum". Bucks County Herald. Retrieved 15 May 2026.

Media appearances

Publications

References

  1. ^ "Meet Lucia". Lucia for Congress. Retrieved 26 April 2026.
  2. ^ Neil, Emily (April 15, 2026). "Election 2026: Pennsylvania Bucks County 1st Congressional District Harvie Simonelli". WHYY. WHYY-FM. Retrieved April 15, 2026.
  3. ^ "Robert J. Harvie Jr., Board Vice-Chair". Bucks County Government. Retrieved 5 April 2026.
  4. ^ Rizzo, Melinda (11 December 2025). "Lucia Simonelli gives Democrats another option in the PA-01 congressional primary". Bucks County Beacon. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
  5. ^ Roth, Fallon (29 April 2026). "Brian Fitzpatrick, Bob Harvie, Pennsylvania primaries, Bucks County". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 29 April 2026. Until now, Fitzpatrick had mostly allowed surrogates to attack Harvie rather than engaging with the Democratic commissioner directly, but the Republican's decision to go on the offensive is a sign that the general election this fall could be cantankerous as both parties vie for the seat that could determine control of the House.
  6. ^ a b "Lucia Dora Simonelli". LinkedIn. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
  7. ^ "Alumna Lucia Simonelli Awarded Congressional Fellowship". Department of Mathematics, University of Maryland. Retrieved 26 April 2026.
  8. ^ "Summer School in Dynamics (Introductory and Advanced)". ICTP. 16–27 July 2018. Retrieved April 26, 2026. Tutors: Oliver BUTTERLEY (ICTP), Irene PASQUINELLI (Durham University, UK), Davide RAVOTTI, (University of Bristol, UK), Lucia SIMONELLI (ICTP), Kadim WAR (Ruhr-Universität, Bochum, Germany).
  9. ^ "Lucia Dora Simonelli". LegiStorm. Retrieved March 22, 2026.
  10. ^ "About - Carbon Removal Standards". Carbon Removal Standards. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
  11. ^ a b Morsch, Mike (11 March 2026). "Democratic primary in PA-01 down to two candidates". Bucks County Herald. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
  12. ^ Tai, Helen (15 May 2026). "Bucks County Deserves Better. That's Why I'm Voting for Lucia Simonelli". Bucks County Beacon. Retrieved 15 May 2026.
  13. ^ Tai, Helen (19 March 2026). "A grassroots candidate that Brian Fitzpatrick should fear". Bucks County Herald (opinion). Retrieved March 22, 2026.
  14. ^ "Endorsements". Track AIPAC. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
  15. ^ "Indivisible of Montgomery County is proud to endorse..." Instagram. Retrieved 5 April 2026.
  16. ^ Andrew F (30 March 2026). "Our Favorite Progressive Candidates in 2026 - Lucia Simonelli, Pennsylvania's 1st Congressional District". Jejune Magazine. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  17. ^ "Lucia for Congress" (campaign website). Retrieved March 22, 2026.
  18. ^ Mychalejko, Cyril (21 April 2026). "Lucia Simonelli wants PA-01 Democrats to vote their hopes, not their fears". Bucks County Beacon (opinion).
  19. ^ "Lucia Simonelli FEC Filing". Federal Election Commission. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
  20. ^ "News & Events". Lucia for Congress. Retrieved 26 April 2026.
  21. ^ Werner, Jeff (26 April 2026). "Democratic congressional hopefuls to face the voters at Bucks Co. forum". MSN. Microsoft. Retrieved 27 April 2026.
  22. ^ Sofield, Tom (29 April 2026). "Democratic congressional candidates take part in Bucks County voters forum". New Hope Free Press. Retrieved 29 April 2026.
  23. ^ Rohan, Jess (25 April 2026). "Bucks County Democrats Harvie, Simonelli vying for Fitzpatrick's seat to face off Monday". Bucks County Courier Times. phillyburbs.com. Retrieved 26 April 2026.
  24. ^ League of Women Voters of Bucks County. "Facebook video post". Facebook. Meta. Retrieved 28 April 2026 – via lwvbucks.org.
  25. ^ League of Women Voters of Bucks County (April 28, 2026). 2026 April 27 PA-01 Democratic Primary Forum. YouTube. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
  26. ^ "It feels to us right now that the institutional response has been imbalanced, punishing the most vulnerable and protecting those with more power,” Simonelli said. “We recognize that much of this (arresting students) falls outside of your jurisdiction, but there remain many unanswered questions about the decisions of the school district and the sequence of events leading up to Friday. Right now, there is a lot of fear and uncertainty. Justice can be uncomfortable for those in power, but it is the only way to heal this community."

Further reading

Category:Living people Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:21st-century American politicians Category:Pennsylvania Democrats Category:Candidates in the 2026 United States House of Representatives elections Category:Women in Pennsylvania politics Category:American women mathematicians Category:Mathematicians from Pennsylvania

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