Charles "Charlie" Dent (born May 24, 1960 in Allentown, Pennsylvania) is a Republican Member of Congress, representing the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2848x4288, 1340 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Charlie Dent Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to... Seal of the House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives (or simply the House) is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress, the other being the Senate. ... Official language(s) None Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Area  Ranked 33rd  - Total 46,055 sq mi (119,283 km²)  - Width 160 miles (255 km)  - Length 280 miles (455 km)  - % water 2. ... Pennsylvanias Congressional Fifteenth District (the fighting fifteenth) is located in eastern Pennsylvania, comprising all or parts of Lehigh, Northampton , Montgomery and Berks counties. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Patrick Joseph Pat Toomey (born November 17, 1961 in Providence, Rhode Island) is a United States politician. ... May 24 is the 144th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (145th in leap years). ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... Nickname: The Queen City Coordinates: Country United States State Pennsylvania County Lehigh Founded 1762 Mayor Ed Pawlowski Area    - City 46. ... GOP redirects here. ... Presbyterianism is part of the Reformed churches family of denominations of Christian Protestantism based on the teachings of John Calvin which traces its institutional roots to the Scottish Reformation, especially as led by John Knox. ... May 24 is the 144th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (145th in leap years). ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... Nickname: The Queen City Coordinates: Country United States State Pennsylvania County Lehigh Founded 1762 Mayor Ed Pawlowski Area    - City 46. ... GOP redirects here. ... A Congressman or Congresswoman (generically, Congressperson) is a politician who is a member of a Congress. ... Counties comprising the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania For the railroad company, see Lehigh Valley Railroad. ... Official language(s) None Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Area  Ranked 33rd  - Total 46,055 sq mi (119,283 km²)  - Width 160 miles (255 km)  - Length 280 miles (455 km)  - % water 2. ...

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 currently represents Pennsylvania's 15th congressional district (map). Seal of the House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives (or simply the House) is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress, the other being the Senate. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Patrick Joseph Pat Toomey (born November 17, 1961 in Providence, Rhode Island) is a United States politician. ... Arlen Specter (born February 12, 1930) is a United States Senator from Pennsylvania. ... Seal of the U.S. Senate The United States Senate is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress, the other being the House of Representatives. ... Pennsylvanias Congressional Fifteenth District (the fighting fifteenth) is located in eastern Pennsylvania, comprising all or parts of Lehigh, Northampton , Montgomery and Berks counties. ...

Education

Dent is a 1978 graduate of Allentown's William Allen High School. He received a Bachelors in International Politics from Penn 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. William Allen High School is a public high school located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the United States. ... The Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (commonly known as Penn State) is a state-related land-grant university in Pennsylvania, with over 80,000 students at 24 campuses throughout the state. ... Lehigh University is a private, co-educational university located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the United States. ... Phi Kappa Psi (ΦΚΨ, Phi Psi) is a U.S. national college fraternity. ...

Pennsylvania State House

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 - 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 C. Afflerbach (Mayor of Allentown 2002-2006) retired in an unsuccessful bid for Congress. Type Bicameral Houses Senate House of Representatives President of the Senate Dick Cheney, R, since January 20, 2001 Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, R, since January 6, 1999 Members 535 plus 4 Delegates and 1 Resident Commissioner Political groups (as of January 4, 2005 elections) Democratic Party Republican Party... Capitol Building The Pennsylvania General Assembly is the U.S. state of Pennsylvanias legislative branch, seated at the states capital, Harrisburg. ... The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is one of two co-equal houses of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... Roy C. Afflerbach (born February 6, 1945 in Allentown, Pennsylvania) is an United States politician. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Retirement is the status of a worker who has stopped working. ...

He has also worked as a college fundraiser, an electronics salesman, a hotel clerk and a congressional aide.

Congressional races

In 2004, Dent faced an opponent who raised more campaign funds than he did but faced some criticism as he had not been a resident of the district prior to his candidacy. Dent won with 59 percent of the vote.

Dent won re-election in 2006.

Politically important district

Dent represents a Pennsylvania Congressional district, consisting principally of Lehigh County and Northampton County, that is considered politically important nationally, since it is usually heavily contested, with neither Republicans nor Democrats having been able to win the district consistently. Since at least the Second World War, the District's voters have chosen the presidential candidate that goes on to win Pennsylvania (and until 2000, Pennsylvania chose the eventual national winner). In the 2004 election, both President George W. Bush and his Democratic challenger, John Kerry, visited the district with regularity in an effort to win its swing voters. The result in the district was 148,679 votes for Kerry over 148,576 votes for Bush, a 103-vote margin of victory. Lehigh County is a county located in the state of Pennsylvania. ... Location in the state of Pennsylvania Formed 1752 Seat Easton Area  - Total  - Water 977 km² (377 mi²) 9 km² (4 mi²) 0. ... Presidential election results map. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the 43rd and current President of the United States, inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ... John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is the junior United States Senator from Massachusetts. ... Swing vote is a term used to describe a vote that may go to any of a number of candidates in an election. ...

The 2006 election marked the fourth consecutive federal/statewide election in which 15th District voters gave Democrats victories at the top of the ticket (president, governor) but also decisively elected a Republican to the U.S. House of Representatives.

Despite these factors, it should be noted that 15th District Congressional elections rarely are close, regardless of which party wins or holds the seat. For example, among the 18 so-called "Kerry Republicans" - Republican Congressmen whose district voted for Kerry in 2004 - Dent had the second-largest margin of victory in the nation at ten percent.

Political stances

Dent is a proponent of alternative energy sources 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. Future energy development face great challenges due to an increasing world population, demands for higher standards of living, demands for less pollution and a much discussed end to fossil fuels. ... General Name, Symbol, Number hydrogen, H, 1 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 1, 1, s Appearance colorless Atomic mass 1. ... Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (German pronunciation (IPA): ) (born on July 30, 1947) is an Austrian-American bodybuilder, actor and Republican politician, currently serving as the 38th Governor of California. ...

Dent is pro-choice and a member of The Republican Main Street Partnership (a group that strongly supports stem cell research). Pro-choice activists on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court, to rally for abortion rights on the anniversary of Roe v. ... The Republican Main Street Partnership is a group of social liberals and moderates in the United States Republican Party. ... Mouse embryonic stem cells. ...

He voted against Federal intervertion in the case of Terri Schiavo. 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. Theresa Marie Terri Schiavo (December 3, 1963 – March 31, 2005) was a woman from St. ...

Dent has also supported hate crimes legislation as a State Senator as well as a Congressman. This support has led to attacks from conservatives that Rep. Dent is pro-gay rights. However, the Human Rights Campaign gave him a 20% rating for his first term, having voted against several other bills favored by gay rights activists. [1] A hate crime (bias crime), loosely defined, is a crime committed because of the perpetrators prejudices. ... HRC logo The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is one of the largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) equal rights organization in the United States. ...

He also is co-sponsor of legislation to provide the District of Columbia with voting representation.(HR 2043). Nickname: DC, The District Motto: Justitia Omnibus (Justice for All) Location of Washington, D.C., in relation to the states Maryland and Virginia. ...

Dent resides in Allentown. He is married to Pamela Dent and has three children.

Election results

2004 - United States House of Representatives
Charlie Dent (R)- 170,634 - 58.6%
Joe Driscoll (D)- 114,646 - 39.4%
Richard Piotrowski (Lib) - 3,660 - 1.3%
Greta Browne (Grn) - 2,194 - 0.7%

2006 - United States House of Representatives
Charlie Dent (R)- 106,261 - 53.6%
Charles Dertinger (D)- 86,186 - 43.5%
Greta Browne (Grn) - 5,803 - 2.9%

External links

• Charlie Dent Official Web Site, U.S. House of Representatives.
• Charlie Dent profile at NNDB.
• Voting record maintained by The Washington Post.