In 3rd District, Dahlkemper fends off 3 challengers

The Erie businesswoman said she’s ready to fight 14-year incumbent Phil English.

STAFF REPORT

By 11 p.m., it was all over.

Kyle Foust and Tom Myers had both called Kathy Dahlkemper to concede the race for the 3rd District congressional race and the chance to take on Republican Phil English in November.

In every one of the seven counties that comprise the district, all of Erie and parts of Armstrong, Butler, Crawford, Warren, Venango and Mercer, Dahlkemper was leading in unofficial results.

For the Erie businesswoman, who runs a landscaping business with her husband, the reason she won her first-time bid for a political office was simple: hard work.

She said that she made her presence known throughout the district “every day, seven days a week,” going to events and going door to door.

“They see me as the change candidate,” Dahlkemper said. “They think I’ll represent them.”

Dahlkemper was winning late Tuesday night in Armstrong County, with 1,257 votes. Myers had 949, Foust had 380 and Mike Waltner 335.

In Warren County, she had 2,008 votes to 426 for Myers, 336 for Foust and 280 for Waltner.

In Butler, totals were not available, but Dahlkemper appeared to be winning in precincts that had reported by 10:30 p.m.

In Mercer, she won 6,309 votes to Myers’ 3,976, Foust’s 2,290 and Waltner’s 1,734.

In Erie, her hometown, she had 20,033 votes to Myers’ 6,927, Foust’s 14,908 and Waltner’s 4,239.

In Venango, she had 274 votes. Myers had 168, Foust 68 and Waltner 71.

In Crawford County, Dahlkemper had 4,561 votes. Myers had 1,461, Foust had 2,029 and Waltner 1,482.

The Republican candidate, 14-year incumbent Phil English, was unopposed.

Dahlkemper expects to take him on in November over issues such as jobs for northwest Pennsylvania, health care, education and the war in Iraq.

She wants to revamp the No Child Left Behind Act, which she believes places too much emphasis on testing and not enough on educating children. She said she wants to look not only at foreign trade agreements but at why businesses are moving to other parts of the country as well.

She said she wants to partner with other areas in the region to attract jobs.

Dahlkemper said businesses should offer health care to employees, but tax breaks can help them shoulder the “huge costs.”

The war in Iraq, she said, must end. She said she feels that issue personally, because she has a nephew and a stepson serving there.

English, she said, will be a formidable opponent, but she believes she will win and that a Democrat will be going to Congress from the district.

Dahlkemper said she never endorsed either U.S. Sens. Barack Obama or Hillary Rodham Clinton for president, but she believes the turnout in the hotly contested race for the Democratic presidential nomination helped her win her race.