A pro-life activist who adamantly opposes pornography and once had his home raided by the FBI is hoping to make it to Congress as battleground state Pennsylvania kicks off its primary election Tuesday.
Mark Houck, founder of Catholic ministry The King’s Men, is campaigning on his experience as the target of ‘weaponization of the government.’
He was the victim of a 2022 FBI raid where dozens of armed agents stormed his home with guns drawn at his family. Houck was arrested by agents in front of his wife and children.
His crime, according to the FBI, was shoving a Planned Parenthood worker the year prior when he and his family were praying outside of the clinic.
Houck, who claimed he was defending his young son at the time, was later acquitted of all wrongdoing.
Republican House candidate Mark Houck addresses a crowd of GOP voters a week before Tuesday’s primary election. He is attempting to unseat four-term Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick
Houck had his home raided by FBI agents in the fall of 2022 after he pushed a Philadelphia Planned Parenthood worker the year earlier for yelling at he and his son, who was 12 at the time. The FBI agents had guns raised at Houck during his arrest. He was later acquitted of all wrongdoing
Now, the anti-abortion activist is hoping to garner enough votes Tuesday to unseat a Republican who he brands as not being a true conservative.
Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, Houck’s opponent, is a four-term Congressman and former FBI agent in a district previously held by his late brother, Mike Fitzpatrick.
His name recognition and backing from moderates and unions will make it tough for Houck to unseat him.
Notably, Pennsylvania’s 1st District is one of the few electorates that voted to send a Republican to the House of Representatives while also voting to put a Democrat, Joe Biden, in the White House in 2020.
This closely divided, moderate area could prove to be too centrist for Houck’s strong anti-abortion views.
Meanwhile, Democrat Ashley Ehasz is running unopposed in the district and will be the party’s presumptive nominee.
She is a former Army helicopter pilot who lost to Fitzpatrick by 10 points in 2022.
Additionally, Fitzpatrick has a cash advantage heading into Tuesday’s vote.
He reportedly has more cash on hand than both Houck and Ehasz combined.
The former FBI agent has promised to bring ‘independent leadership’ to the Capitol where he often votes as a moderate.
And his record backs up his claims.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick has attacked Houck’s past comments on his struggles with pornography
Conservative non-profit Heritage Action has given Fitzpatrick a meager 34 percent rating on his conservatism scorecard for his lifetime voting record as a member of Congress.
Houck has seen this as an opportunity.
‘If you aren’t strong enough to stand up for your constituents, it’s time to get out of Washington,’ Houck posted on X Monday evening.
‘Let’s say goodbye to Brian Fitzpatrick and hello to true conservative values. Time to save our republic’
Fitzpatrick, on the other hand, has ran ads attacking Houck for not being as God-fearing as he puts on.
The member’s campaign has repeatedly targeted Houck for past comments about his struggles with pornography.
‘I struggled with pornography and being exposed to it at a young age,’ Houck told Jeff Garrett host of ‘The Regular Catholic Guy Show’ during a 2021 episode.
‘Of course, that leads to, you know, sexual sin, masturbation and stuff. And so, that was a chronic habit that I had that just became a bad habit. Ultimately it was self-medication, I can say initially, and then it became a bad habit,’ Houck said at the time.
Houck has ripped Fitzpatrick for not having a ‘true conservative values’
But Houck has addressed the controversy head-on, saying, ‘I have shared it many times online and in interviews and books. My past struggles are just that. They are a past from childhood into young adulthood.’
He has also fired back at Fitzpatrick with culture war salvos, saying he ‘spends more time at Pride Parades than safeguarding the Constitutional rights of his constituents.’
Polls close in Pennsylvania at 8:00 p.m. local time.
