Kathy Dahlkemper

Dahlkemper was born Kathleen Ann Steenberge in Erie, one of seven children of Carl W. and M. Janet Clarke Steenberge. She graduated in 1982 from Edinboro State College (now PennWest Edinboro) with a degree in dietetics.{{Cite web|title=County Executive Kathy Dahlkemper – Erie County, PA|url=https://eriecountypa.gov/elected-officials/erie-county-executive/|access-date=2021-04-15|website=eriecountypa.gov}}

After graduating, she worked as a clinical dietician for over 20 years, initially in Houston, Texas, and later in the Erie area. Since 1997, she has been part-owner, human resources manager, and special projects director of Dahlkemper Landscape Architects and Contractors, a major landscaping firm in the area. Also, she is a co-founder and director of the Lake Erie Arboretum at Frontier Park.{{Cite web|title=County Executive Kathy Dahlkemper – Erie County, PA|url=https://eriecountypa.gov/elected-officials/erie-county-executive/|access-date=2021-04-15|website=eriecountypa.gov}}

• Committee on Agriculture
• Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy, and Research
• Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition and Forestry
• Committee on Science and Technology
• Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight
• Committee on Small Business
• Subcommittee on Regulations, Healthcare and Trade (Chairwoman)
• Subcommittee on Rural and Urban Entrepreneurship

File:Kathy Dahlkemper official congressional photo (cropped).jpg]]

Dahlkemper was a member of the Blue Dog Coalition. She supported the repeal of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy for the armed forces,{{Cite web |url=http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:HR01283:@@@P |title=Military Readiness Enhancement Act co-sponsor list from THOMAS |access-date=March 31, 2010 |archive-date=July 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160704145830/http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:HR01283:@@@P |url-status=dead }} and was a co-sponsor of the Employee Free Choice Act, also known as "Card check".{{Cite web |url=http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:HR01409:@@@P |title=Employee Free Choice Act co-sponsor list from THOMAS |access-date=March 31, 2010 |archive-date=July 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160703224632/http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:HR01409:@@@P |url-status=dead }} Dahlkemper identifies as "pro-life",{{Cite web |url=http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docID=district-PA-03 |title=CQ Politics profile of PA-03 |access-date=November 20, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080918015217/http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docID=district-PA-03 |archive-date=September 18, 2008 |url-status=dead }} and was the "Hall of Fame" Award recipient at the 2009 Conference of Democrats for Life of America, an anti-abortion advocacy group.[http://www.democratsforlife.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=555&Itemid=1 2009 Hall of Fame Dinner and Conference] She supported the Stupak-Pitts Amendment, an anti-abortion amendment to America's Affordable Health Care Act of 2009 (HR 3962), but later voted in favor of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act after President Obama issued an executive order that barred the use of federal funds for abortions.{{citation needed |date=November 2020}}

{{See also|2008 United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania#District 3}}

File:Kathy Dahlkemper and Bill George.jpg President Bill George on September 13, 2008]]

File:Gov. Wolf Visits Erie and Allentown to Outline Plan to Protect Workers, Improve Pay and Paid Sick Leave (51655086193).jpg

Dahlkemper announced her candidacy for the Democratic nomination for the 3rd District in October 2007. As a first-time candidate for political office, she won the primary by an unexpectedly wide 19-point margin.

In the general election, Dahlkemper faced seven-term Republican incumbent Phil English. During the campaign, she attacked English for breaking his original promise to only serve six terms in Congress, and also tied him to the Bush administration. She raised $872,000 to English's $2.2 million, but was aided by large spending by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. In the November election, Dahlkemper won in an upset, taking 51.2 percent of the vote to English's 48.8 percent. Though she won only two of the district's seven counties (Erie and Mercer), Dahlkemper secured victory by running up a large margin in Erie County, which she won by nearly 16,000 votes.

Dahlkemper was the first Democrat to represent the 3rd and its predecessors since Joseph Vigorito was toppled by Marc L. Marks in 1976, and only the third Democrat to represent the district since 1893. Although the district is anchored by heavily Democratic Erie, the largest city in the district (no other city has more than 17,000 people), it has historically elected moderate Republicans (most notably Tom Ridge, who represented it from 1983 to 1995).

Dahlkemper was the first woman to represent northwest Pennsylvania in the House, and was one of two women in the 19-member delegation from Pennsylvania, the other being Allyson Schwartz of the Philadelphia area.

Her husband, Dan, was elected the first male President of the Congressional Spouses’ freshman class in 2009.[http://www.dahlkemper.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=19&Itemid=9 "Dan Dahlkemper First Male President of Congressional Spouses"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100106010826/http://www.dahlkemper.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=19&Itemid=9 |date=January 6, 2010 }}. Press Release. January 26, 2009.

{{See also|2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania#District 3}}

Dahlkemper was defeated by Republican Mike Kelly, a car dealer from the far southern portion of the district by 11.4%, the highest margin of defeat for any incumbent congressperson from Pennsylvania in 2010. While she carried Erie County, she lost badly in the rest of the district. Since Dahlkemper left office, a Democrat has come within single digits in the district, now numbered as the 16th District, only once.

In March 2013, Dahlkemper announced her candidacy for Erie County executive, challenging incumbent Democrat Barry Grossman.{{cite news |title=Dahlkemper: Erie County executive must show more vision|author=Kevin Flowers|url=http://www.goerie.com/article/20130312/NEWS02/303119920/Dahlkemper%3A-Erie-County-executive-must-show-more-vision&template=mobile|newspaper=Erie Times-News |date=11 March 2013|access-date=21 May 2013}} She defeated Grossman in the May 21 Democratic primary with 52% of the vote.{{cite web |url=http://www.politicspa.com/dahlkemper-unseats-grossman-for-erie-executive/48185/|title=Dahlkemper Unseats Grossman for Erie Executive|author= |date=21 May 2013|website=PoliticsPA|access-date=21 May 2013}} In the November general election, Dahlkemper defeated Republican nominee Don Tucci, winning 57% of the vote.{{cite news |title=Dahlkemper elected Erie County executive|author=Kevin Flowers|url=http://www.goerie.com/article/20131105/NEWS02/311059893/Dahlkemper-elected-Erie-County-executive|newspaper=Erie Times-News |date=5 November 2013|access-date=19 November 2013}} She took office as county executive on January 6, 2014.

Dahlkemper ran for reelection in 2017, winning by 307 votes, with 50.15 percent of the vote over her Republican opponent, Art Oligeri, who garnered 49.64 percent. She weathered a strong tide against her in the county's more conservative eastern portion.{{Cite web|url=http://www.erienewsnow.com/story/36789839/kathy-dahlkemper-wins-second-term-as-erie-county-executive|title = Kathy Dahlkemper wins second term as Erie County Executive}}

Dahlkemper married her first husband while in college; they divorced when the marriage became abusive, and she raised her son as a single mother on food stamp assistance.{{cite news |title=Is There Room for a Pro-Life Democratic Woman? The Case for Kathy Dahlkemper|author=Margie Omero|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/margie-omero/is-there-room-for-a-pro-l_b_773918.html|newspaper=The Huffington Post |date=26 October 2010|access-date=19 October 2013}} She later married Dan Dahlkemper, who adopted her son; they had four additional children.

{{Election box begin no change

| title = Pennsylvania's 3rd Congressional District Election, 2008{{Cite web | title= 2008 General Election | work= Elections Information | date= November 4, 2008 | publisher= Pennsylvania Department of State | url= http://www.electionreturns.state.pa.us/ElectionsInformation.aspx?FunctionID=13&ElectionID=28&OfficeID=11#3 | access-date= October 21, 2010 | url-status= dead | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081208193742/http://www.electionreturns.state.pa.us/ElectionsInformation.aspx?FunctionID=13&ElectionID=28&OfficeID=11#3 | archive-date= December 8, 2008}}

}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

| party = Democratic Party (US)

| candidate = Kathy Dahlkemper

| votes = 146,846

| percentage = 51.2

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

| party = Republican Party (US)

| candidate = Phil English (incumbent)

| votes = 139,757

| percentage = 48.8

}}

{{Election box total no change

| votes = 286,603

| percentage = 100.0

}}

{{Election box gain with party link no change

| winner = Democratic Party (US)

| loser = Republican Party (US)

}}

{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin no change

| title = Pennsylvania's 3rd Congressional District Election, 2010{{Cite web | title= 2010 General Election | work= Elections Information | date= November 2, 2010 | publisher= Pennsylvania Department of State | url= http://www.electionreturns.state.pa.us/ElectionsInformation.aspx?FunctionID=13&ElectionID=39&OfficeID=11#3 | access-date= December 29, 2010 | url-status= dead | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101106003151/http://www.electionreturns.state.pa.us/ElectionsInformation.aspx?FunctionID=13&ElectionID=39&OfficeID=11#3 | archive-date= November 6, 2010}}

}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

| party = Republican Party (US)

| candidate = Mike Kelly

| votes = 109,909

| percentage = 55.7

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

| party = Democratic Party (US)

| candidate = Kathy Dahlkemper (incumbent)

| votes = 88,924

| percentage = 44.3

}}

{{Election box total no change

| votes = 197,320

| percentage = 100.0

}}

{{Election box gain with party link no change

| winner = Republican Party (US)

| loser = Democratic Party (US)

}}

{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin no change

| title = Erie County Executive Election, 2013{{Cite web | title= 2013 Erie County Elections | work= Elections Information | date= November 5, 2013 | publisher= County of Erie, Pennsylvania | url= https://eriecountypa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/2013-gen-report-01122015095505.pdf | access-date= July 4, 2021}}

}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

| party = Democratic Party (US)

| candidate = Kathy Dahlkemper

| votes = 31,391

| percentage = 57.3

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

| party = Republican Party (US)

| candidate = Don Tucci

| votes = 23,436

| percentage = 42.7

}}

{{Election box total no change

| votes = 54,827

| percentage = 100.0

}}

{{Election box hold with party link no change

| winner = Democratic Party (US)

| loser = Republican Party (US)

}}

{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin no change

| title = Erie County Executive Election, 2017{{Cite web | title= 2017 Erie County Elections | work= Elections Information | date= November 13, 2017 | publisher= County of Erie, Pennsylvania | url= https://eriecountypa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/precinct-results-11-13-17.pdf | access-date= July 4, 2021}}

}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

| party = Democratic Party (US)

| candidate = Kathy Dahlkemper (incumbent)

| votes = 30,454

| percentage = 50.3

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

| party = Republican Party (US)

| candidate = Art Oligeri

| votes = 30,150

| percentage = 49.7

}}

{{Election box total no change

| votes = 60,604

| percentage = 100.0

}}

{{Election box hold with party link no change

| winner = Democratic Party (US)

| loser = Republican Party (US)

}}

{{Election box end}}

• Women in the United States House of Representatives

{{reflist}}

{{commons category|Kathy Dahlkemper}}

• [http://www.kathydahlkemperforcongress.com/ Kathy Dahlkemper for Congress] official campaign site
• {{CongLinks | congbio=D000608 | votesmart=102423 | fec=H8PA03084 | congress= }}
• {{C-SPAN|1030596}}

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Category:1957 births

Category:Living people

Category:County executives in Pennsylvania

Category:Politicians from Erie, Pennsylvania

Category:Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania

Category:Female members of the United States House of Representatives

Category:Women in Pennsylvania politics

Category:21st-century American women politicians

Category:2020 United States presidential electors

Category:21st-century members of the United States House of Representatives