English and Hart easily win re-election to congressional offices

U.S. Rep. Melissa Hart said she looked forward to continuing things she started during her first term.
By HAROLD GWIN and LAURE CIOFFI
VINDICATOR PENNSYLVANIA STAFF
U.S. Rep. Phil English said his wide margin of victory in his re-election bid is a mandate for him to take back to Washington to help push for economic development and jobs.
"This is a great victory," said English, a Republican from Erie, who defeated his Green Party opponent, AnnDrea Benson of Edinboro, by more than 3 to 1, based on unofficial election returns Tuesday.
His counterpart in the 4th Congressional District, Republican Melissa Hart, said she is also eager to return to Washington, D.C., to get back to work. Hart, of Bradford Woods, Allegheny County, defeated her Democratic challenger, Stevan Drobac of Beaver County, by a nearly 2-1 margin.
"We've gone out and talked to a lot people in the communities, local government leaders, Republicans and Democrats, finding out what they want to happen. I've been working with them to make those things happen. I want to continue to finish a lot of things we started," said Hart, who was elected to her second term.
English, a four-term incumbent, said his constituents see him as an advocate for change and recognize his strong support for manufacturing and working families.
Cites bipartisan support
The congressman said he is coming out of the election with strong bipartisan support, both from the public and from elected officials.
That makes him a stronger advocate for the 3rd District in Washington and gives the district a stronger, unified voice, he said. The 3rd District is spread over seven northwestern Pennsylvania counties.
Benson, coming off her first attempt at elected office, said she thought she did well considering that she represented a new party in the district, didn't get into the campaign until August and had only $15,000 to spend.
"He was afraid to debate me," she said of English's refusal to meet her in a public forum.
"We at least gave the voters an alternative," Benson said, adding that the effort has built a new coalition for the future.
She switched from the Democratic Party to the Green Party to challenge English in the general election but said she doesn't intend to switch back and wouldn't be adverse to being the Green Party candidate again in two years.
Hart challenger
Hart's opponent said he also felt he did well considering the Republican incumbent had more money.
"I put a lot of grass-roots campaigning into it. For me having $70,000 to her $1 million, I did a damn good job. It wasn't the money that made the difference. What made the difference was the Democratic Republicans," Drobac said.
About 54 percent of the voters in the district are registered Democrats compared with 34 percent who are registered Republicans.
"Unfortunately you have to have a winner and a loser and she won. I really didn't lose because I didn't have the position in the first place," Drobac said.
Hart said she believed the voters saw that she had solutions to problems and her opponent did not.
"He never had a formulated plan for anything. There was a lot of criticism without a clear plan. We have plans. ... We've had plans and passed them [for things such as] prescription drugs," Hart said.