English served as Erie City Controller from 1985 to 1989. In 1988 he was the Republican nominee for State Treasurer but was defeated by Democrat Catherine Baker Knoll. He stayed in politics and served as Chief of Staff for then State SenatorMelissa Hart.
English was elected to the House of Representatives in 1994 after seven-term incumbent Tom Ridge vacated the seat to make a successful run for governor. English benefited from the Republican wave of 1994 as well as Ridge's coattails. In addition, the Democrats had a crowded primary in which the Erie candidates split the vote, which allowed Sharon attorney Bill Leavens to win the primary. English, as a native of Erie, then garnered enough support from his hometown (generally a Democratic stronghold) to win the election.[2]
English was re-elected in a close race in 1996 against Erie attorney and Marine Corps veteran Ron DiNicola as Bill Clinton carried the district. However, he was handily reelected in 1998 on Ridge's coattails, and didn't face a close race again until 2006. That year, he defeated Steve Porter by only 54% to 42% (with 4% going to Constitution Party candidate Tim Hagberg). Porter was an unknown retired college professor who spent virtually no money; he raised only $81,100 to English's $1.4 million.[3]
English was liberal on economic matters and conservative on social matters. Unusually for a Republican, he had strong ties to organized labor. However, this served him well in a district that was dominated by the heavily Democratic and thoroughly unionized city of Erie (no other city in the district has more than 17,000 people).
English moved up the seniority ladder in the House over the years. From his first term, he was a member of the powerful Ways and Means Committee—the first freshman Republican to be appointed to this committee since 1975. In the 110th Congress, English served as the ranking member on the Subcommittee of Select Revenue Measures.
2008 election
English's narrow win in 2006 led the Democrats to target his seat in 2008. He faced first-time candidate and small businesswoman Kathy Dahlkemper in the November election.
The race captured considerable national attention. Although English outspent Dahlkemper—raising $2.2 million to Dahlkemper's $872,000—the Democratic House Campaign Committee overwhelmed English overall in spending on media buys and direct mail.[citation needed]
In the election, English was defeated, taking 48 percent of the vote to Dahlkemper's 52 percent. English carried five of the district's seven counties, but could not overcome a 14-point deficit in his native Erie County, the largest county in the district.
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