Phil English
Encyclopedia
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
member of the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from 1995 - 2009 from the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, representing the state's 3rd Congressional district
Pennsylvania's 3rd congressional district
Pennsylvania's third district is located in the northwestern part of the state and includes the cities of Erie, Sharon, Hermitage, Butler and Meadville....
.
After 14 years in the U.S. House, he was defeated for reelection by Democrat Kathy Dahlkemper
Kathy Dahlkemper
Kathleen Ann "Kathy" Dahlkemper is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 2009 until 2011. She is a member of the Democratic Party.The district is based in Erie and includes most of the northwestern portion of the state....
on Nov. 4, 2008.
Early life and career
English is a lifelong resident of Erie. He attended Portsmouth Abbey SchoolPortsmouth Abbey School
Portsmouth Abbey School is a private, coeducational boarding and day school for grades 9 through 12, located in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. Founded by the Benedictine monks of Portsmouth Abbey in 1926 as Portsmouth Priory School, the school offered a classical education to boys...
in Portsmouth, Rhode Island
Portsmouth, Rhode Island
Portsmouth is a town in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 17,389 at the 2010 U.S. Census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water. Most of its land area lies on Aquidneck...
. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
. While in college, he served as Chairman of a College Republicans organization.
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
Catherine Baker Knoll
Catherine Baker Knoll was an American politician and member of the Democratic Party. She was the 30th Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania, serving under Governor Ed Rendell from 2003 to 2008.-Background:...
. He stayed in politics and served as Chief of Staff for then State Senator
Pennsylvania State Senate
The Pennsylvania State Senate has been meeting since 1791. It is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such...
Melissa Hart.
U.S. House of Representatives
English was elected to the House of RepresentativesUnited States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
in 1994 after seven-term incumbent Tom Ridge
Tom Ridge
Thomas Joseph "Tom" Ridge is an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives , the 43rd Governor of Pennsylvania , Assistant to the President for Homeland Security , and the first United States Secretary of Homeland Security...
vacated the seat to make a successful run for Governor. English benefited from the Republican wave of 1994
United States House elections, 1994
The 1994 U.S. House of Representatives election was held on November 8, 1994, in the middle of President Bill Clinton's first term. As a result of a 54-seat swing in membership from Democrats to Republicans, the Republican Party gained a majority of seats in the United States House of...
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.
English was re-elected in a close race in 1996 as Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
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.
English is a moderate Republican, liberal on economic matters and conservative on social matters. He has strong ties to organized labor, which is not typical for most Republicans. However, this served him well in a district dominated by the heavily Democratic, 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
United States House Committee on Ways and Means
The Committee of Ways and Means is the chief tax-writing committee of the United States House of Representatives. Members of the Ways and Means Committee are not allowed to serve on any other House Committees unless they apply for a waiver from their party's congressional leadership...
--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 DahlkemperKathy Dahlkemper
Kathleen Ann "Kathy" Dahlkemper is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 2009 until 2011. She is a member of the Democratic Party.The district is based in Erie and includes most of the northwestern portion of the state....
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.
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
Erie County, Pennsylvania
Erie County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 280,566. Its county seat is the City of Erie.- Geography :...
, the largest county in the district.
External links
- Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote SmartProject Vote SmartProject Vote Smart is a non-profit, non-partisan research organization that collects and distributes information on candidates for public office in the United States...
- PoliticsPA interview