- Charlie Dent
-
For other people of the same name, see Charles Dent (disambiguation).
Charlie Dent 
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Pennsylvania's 15th districtIncumbent Assumed office
January 3, 2005Preceded by Pat Toomey Member of the Pennsylvania Senate
from the 16th districtIn office
January 5, 1999 – November 30, 2004Preceded by Roy Afflerbach Succeeded by Pat Browne Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
from the 132nd districtIn office
January 1, 1991[1] – November 25, 1998Preceded by John Pressman Succeeded by Jennifer Mann Personal details Born May 24, 1960
Allentown, PennsylvaniaPolitical party Republican Spouse(s) Pamela Jane Serfass Residence Allentown, Pennsylvania Alma mater Penn State University (B.A.)
Lehigh University (M.A.)Occupation Political assistant Religion Presbyterian Website Representative Charlie Dent Charles "Charlie" Dent (born May 24, 1960) is the U.S. Representative for Pennsylvania's 15th congressional district, serving since 2005. He is a member of the Republican Party.
The district includes all of Northampton County, most of Lehigh County, and small parts of Berks and Montgomery Counties.
Contents
Early life, education and career
Dent was born and raised in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He is a 1978 graduate of Allentown's William Allen High School. He received a Bachelor's in International Politics from Pennsylvania State University in 1982 and a Masters in Public Administration from Lehigh University in 1993. He is a member of the Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity.
He previously worked as a development officer for Lehigh University, an industrial electronics salesman, a hotel clerk, and an aide to Representative Donald L. Ritter.
Pennsylvania Legislature
Before being elected to the United States Congress, Dent was a member of the State Legislature for 14 years. He represented Pennsylvania's 132nd house district from 1991 to 1999 after unseating Democratic incumbent Jack Pressman in a heavily Democratic district in 1990. In 1998, Dent won an open 16th District Senate seat when Democrat Roy Afflerbach (who later served as Mayor of Allentown from 2002 to 2006) retired to take up an ultimately unsuccessful bid for Congress.
U.S. House of Representatives
Dent was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 2004, succeeding Pat Toomey, who gave up his seat to challenge Arlen Specter for the U.S. Senate. He was re-elected in 2006 and again in 2008. In 2010, Dent was reelected with 53.5% of the vote,[2] the smallest percent of the vote he received in his 4 elections.[3]
Committee assignments
- Committee on Appropriations
- Committee on Ethics
Caucus Memberships
- Congressional Arts Caucus
Political positions
Dent is a proponent of hydrogen fuel and is one of the four founding members of the House Hydrogen Fuel Cell Caucus. In 2006 he proposed legislation aimed at promoting the rollout of commercial hydrogen fueling stations. Dent envisions the development of a "Hydrogen Highway East," similar to California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's plans for a Hydrogen Highway on the West Coast.
Dent is a member of The Republican Main Street Partnership. In 2007 he was elected to co-chair the Republican "Tuesday Group," a centrist organization of Congressional Republicans.
As a Republican representing a district with Democratic leanings, he sometimes crosses party lines on legislation. In December 2010, Dent was one of fifteen Republican House members to vote in favor of repealing the United States military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" ban on openly gay service members.[4][5]
Dent is a staunch advocate of a federal prohibition of online poker. In 2006, he cosponsored H.R. 4411, the Goodlatte-Leach Internet Gambling Prohibition Act[6]
He voted against Federal intervention in the Terri Schiavo case. Dent replied afterwards that he opposed government intervention in a personal matter and would have voted the same way had courts sided with Schiavo's parents.
In April 2010, Dent introduced a resolution urging the U.S. State Department to issue a "certificate of loss of nationality" to Anwar al-Awlaki. He said al-Awlaki "preaches a culture of hate" and had been a functioning member of al-Qaeda "since before 9/11", and had effectively renounced his citizenship by engaging in treasonous acts.[7]
In April 2011, Dent voted in favor of a 2012 budget proposal authored by Paul Ryan entitled The Path to Prosperity, which included several controversial changes to both health care and tax policy. Dent said of the bill that, "It's a serious, sober document...There are some things in there that I think are interesting."[8]
At the start of the 112th Congress, Dent received a new position on the coveted House Appropriations Committee, and continues to serve on the House Ethics Committee.
Political campaigns
2010
Dent won a reelection challenge by Democratic nominee and Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan and Independent Jake Towne.
Electoral history
U.S. House, 15th District of Pennsylvania (General Election) [9] Year Winning candidate Party Pct Opponent Party Pct Opponent Party Pct Opponent Party Pct 2004 Charlie Dent Republican 58.6% Joe Driscoll Democratic 39.4% Frank Gonzalez Libertarian 1.3% Greta Browne Green Party 0.7% 2006 Charlie Dent (inc.) Republican 53.6% Charles Dertinger Democratic 43.5% Greta Browne Green Party 2.9% 2008 Charlie Dent (inc.) Republican 58.6% Sam Bennett Democratic 41.4% 2010 Charlie Dent (inc.) Republican 54% John Callahan Democratic 39% Jake Towne Independent 7% Personal life
Dent is married to Pamela Dent and has three children.
References
- ^ "SESSION OF 1991–175TH OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY – No. 1". Legislative Journal. Pennsylvania House of Representatives. January 1, 1991. http://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/HJ/1991/0/19910101.pdf.
- ^ "Pennsylvania Election Results". The New York Times. http://elections.nytimes.com/2010/results/pennsylvania.
- ^ "House Races". The New York Times. http://elections.nytimes.com/2010/house/pennsylvania/15.
- ^ Chris Geidner, House Passes DADT Repeal Bill, Metro Weekly (December 15, 2010).
- ^ House Vote 638 - Repeals 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell', New York Times (December 15, 2010).
- ^ Thomas (Library of Congress): HR 4411
- ^ Levine, Mike (April 22, 2010). "Rep. Introduces Resolution to Strip Radical Cleric of US Citizenship". Fox News Covers Congress (Fox News). http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/04/22/rep-introduces-resolution-strip-radical-cleric-us-citizenship. Retrieved May 12, 2010.
- ^ Miller, Sean J. and D'Aprile, Shane (April 26, 2011). "Vulnerables offer praise for Ryan plan". Ballot Box: The Hill's Campaign Blog (The Hill). http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/house-races/154161-gop-vulnerable-members-cautiously-embrace-ryan-budget. Retrieved August 5, 2011.
- ^ CQ Politics: U.S. House, Pennsylvania – 15th District
External links
Media related to Charlie Dent at Wikimedia Commons- Charlie Dent, United States Congressman official U.S. House site
- Charlie Dent for U.S. Congress official campaign site
- Biography at WhoRunsGov.com at The Washington Post
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
- Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
- Congressional profile at GovTrack
- Congressional profile at OpenCongress
- Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
- Financial information at OpenSecrets.org
- Staff salaries, trips and personal finance at LegiStorm.com
- Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
- Campaign contributions at the National Institute for Money in State Politics
- Appearances on C-SPAN programs
- Charlie Dent at the Notable Names Database
United States House of Representatives Preceded by
Pat ToomeyMember of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Pennsylvania's 15th congressional district
2005–presentIncumbent United States order of precedence Preceded by
Geoff Davis
R-KentuckyUnited States Representatives by seniority
238thSucceeded by
Jeff Fortenberry
R-NebraskaPennsylvania State Senate Preceded by
Roy AfflerbachMember of the Pennsylvania Senate for the 16th District
1999–2004Succeeded by
Pat BrownePennsylvania House of Representatives Preceded by
John PressmanMember of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 132nd District
1991–1998Succeeded by
Jennifer MannCategories:- 1960 births
- Living people
- American Presbyterians
- Lehigh University alumni
- Members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
- Pennsylvania State University alumni
- Pennsylvania State Senators
- People from Allentown, Pennsylvania
- Pennsylvania Republicans
- William Allen High School alumni
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
