Here’s why a Pennsylvania Trump ally and a Trump skeptic are absent from the RNC

Two U.S. congressmen from Pennsylvania — one a staunch advocate of former President Donald Trump and another who has distanced himself from Trump — are absent from the Republican National Convention this week in Milwaukee. And both are out on official business reasons, their offices have said.

Rep. Scott Perry (R., Pa.) did not attend this year’s convention because he “is with his constituents for numerous scheduled events and meetings,” according to a spokesperson from Perry’s office — a notable absence given Perry’s continued allyship with Trump.

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R., Pa.), who has a history of carefully curating his political profile, is on “official travel with the House Intelligence Committee,” his office said.

Still, other Republican congressmen from Pennsylvania are in attendance at the RNC, including Rep. Dan Meuser, who called for convention speakers to “to tone it down”, as well as Reps. Mike Kelly, Guy Reschenthaler, Glenn Thompson, John Joyce, and Lloyd Smucker.

And the convention has featured an exhaustive speaker list of other U.S. representatives who have come to the defense and support of the former president, in the wake of his New York felony conviction and other looming legal battles. Republican Senate candidate Dave McCormick, who cast the November election as a choice between “strength and weakness,” is the only candidate from Pennsylvania scheduled to speak at the convention.

Perry’s spokesperson did not provide details on the meetings and events that precluded his attendance at the RNC.

Fitzpatrick, though, has a long track record of siding against the former president while also managing to fall within party lines. He voted against impeaching Trump in January 2021, noting his belief that it would make the country more divided, but the week prior he broke from pro-Trump Republican colleagues and certified then-President elect Joe Biden’s win in the battleground state of Pennsylvania.

Fitzpatrick, ranked one of the most bipartisan members of Congress, has a history of dodging questions about Trump. A Fitzpatrick campaign spokesperson did not immediately respond to questions as to whether attending the RNC was a part of Fitzpatrick’s original schedule. He has also yet to make an endorsement for the presidential race.

Perry’s absence from the RNC is notable, though it’s clear that the congressman, who represents Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional District and is one of Trump’s top defenders in the House, is still very much in support of the former president.

Over the weekend, Perry weighed in on the assassination attempt against Trump in Butler County and the ensuing investigation into any security failures. “America wants answers — without delay, drama, or games — and our leaders need to provide those … without delay, drama, or games,” he said.

After Trump was found guilty on 34 felony counts in May, Perry inaccurately referred to the charges as “fake” and claimed that the former president was wrongly prosecuted. In a Monday post on X, Perry doubled down on his claims that Trump has been wrongfully prosecuted, this time regarding a judge’s decision to dismiss charges in a separate against Trump involving the alleged mishandling of classified documents.

The shooting in Butler County, which left one attendee dead and two others injured, provoked calls from leaders on both sides of the political aisle, including Perry, to minimize divisive rhetoric. Perry, who has acknowledged that he needs to use less inflammatory language, was one of 139 representatives who voted to sustain one or both of the objections to electoral votes in Arizona and Pennsylvania on Jan. 6, 2021.

Perry, former chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, has also embraced conspiracy theories surrounding the 2020 election and falsely claimed that Trump had been cheated out of winning the election.

The congressman is facing Janelle Stelson, a TV anchor and former registered Republican running as a centrist Democrat, in November. The Cook Political Report has shifted the race from “likely Republican” to “lean Republican.”

It’s perhaps less surprising that Fitzpatrick is absent from the convention supporting Trump. The congressman, who represents the 1st Congressional District in Bucks and Montgomery Counties, has held onto his seat in a purple district by positioning himself as a moderate.

Fitzpatrick opposed Biden’s American Rescue Plan, as well as forming a select committee to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. He was also in favor of the Republican-led effort to impeach Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas over the Biden administration’s handling of the U.S.-Mexico border.

At the same time, Fitzpatrick — who received an endorsement from Trump in 2020 — hasn’t said whether he would back Trump for president in 2024, and wouldn’t disclose whether he would attend a Trump fundraiser in Bucks County. He was one of six House Republicans to join a resolution to censure Trump.

He also opposed the repeal of the Affordable Care Act and was one of 13 House Republicans to support Biden’s infrastructure bill.

“You should vote up or down on a bill based on the text. It shouldn’t matter who benefits politically,” Fitzpatrick told The Inquirer in November 2021.

Fitzpatrick’s constituents seem to like his low-key way of maneuvering around party politics. In 2020, Fitzpatrick won on a split ballot, winning reelection while Biden secured the presidency.

He is running in the November election against Democrat Ashley Ehasz, whom he defeated in 2022 to win a fourth term.

Staff writers Julia Terruso and Katie Bernard contributed to this story.