Dahlkemper, Kathy, 1957-

Kathleen Ann Dahlkemper (née Steenberge; born December 10, 1957) is an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, she was elected the county executive of Erie County, Pennsylvania, in 2013. Dahlkemper previously served as U.S. Representative for Pennsylvania's 3rd congressional district from 2009 to 2011.

Born in Erie, Pennsylvania, she graduated from Edinboro State College (now Edinboro University of Pennsylvania) with a degree in dietetics in 1982. She briefly worked in Houston, Texas, as a dietitian before moving back to Erie in 1986 to open her own office. While in college, she became pregnant and got married. She and her husband divorced soon after. She later married Dan Dahlkemper. She worked at a landscaping company owned by her father-in-law, and in 1997 Dahlkemper and her husband took over the business. Dahlkemper served as the director of the Lake Erie Arboretum at Frontier Park, Pennsylvania, from 2000 to 2008. Persuaded to run for Congress in 2007, she won the four-way contest for the Democratic nomination before facing seven-term incumbent Phil English. Dahlkemper campaigned on the economy and job creation, issues that northwest Pennsylvania, once an industrial hub, had struggled with for many years. She narrowly defeated English by a two-point margin.

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