Democratic Congressional candidates to debate in April

The two Democrats battling to run against U.S. Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick (R, Bucks) in this year's Congressional election will participate in their first public debate on April 15, their campaigns confirmed Thursday.

The face-off between Kevin Strouse, 34, an Army veteran and former CIA employee, and Shaughnessy Naughton, 35, who runs her family printing business, will take place at noon at Bucks County Community College's Lower Bucks Campus, in Bristol, and will be moderated by Bill Pezza, an adjunct politics professor at the college.

It is scheduled to be 75 minutes, according to Jean Dolan, a college spokeswoman.

For several weeks, Strouse and Naughton have been meeting with local Democratic leaders around the Eighth District, which encompasses Bucks County and a sliver of northeastern Montgomery County.

But this is the first public debate between the two, and Joshua Morrow, Naughton's campaign manager, said that there are not any other public debates currently scheduled.

The Bucks County Democratic Committee decided against endorsing a candidate ahead of May's primary election, with party chairman John Cordisco hoping the open primary attracts more attention for the candidates.

Doors for the event will open at 11:30 a.m., Dolan said, and tickets are not needed. The venue, located at 1304 Veteran Highway in Bristol, can accomodate about 180 people, she said.