Dahlkemper described herself as a "whole-life" politician, referring to her opposition both to abortion rights and the death penalty. She stressed her support for Second Amendment gun rights. Dahlkemper also campaigned against free-trade agreements that she said had pushed Pennsylvania jobs overseas; she excoriated English for his support of the Central American Free Trade Agreement, saying his vote was key to its 2005 passage.

On foreign policy, Dahlkemper voiced support for the war in Afghanistan while saying she opposed the Iraq war from the start. She called for an "organized disengagement" from Iraq in which the U.S. would withdraw its forces while keeping its commitment to help Iraq rebuild its civil society.

Health-Care Reform

As a freshman Democrat and a Blue Dog, Dahlkemper was an active contributor to the party's 2009 health-care efforts in the House. She favored the final March 2010 health-care bill, calling passage of the bill "a great day for the American people and for the pro-life community."

A supporter of the public option, she also pushed for the inclusion of measures to incentivize preventive care and health living. In July 2009, Dahlkemper joined with other Blue Dogs in writing a letter to the House Democratic leadership voicing concerns about the cost of the emerging health-care legislation.

The letter also cited worries about the impact of a proposed employer mandate on small businesses, although the lawmakers did not signal an outright opposition to the requirement.

In October 2009, Dahlkemper won the support of Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to include in the final House health bill her measure to allow young adults to be covered by their parents' health insurance through the age of 26. As late as October, Dahlkemper would not officially commit to voting for the bill, though her appearance with Pelosi and other Democratic leaders suggested her support was likely.

The Economy

As with many House races, the rapidly-deteriorating economy figured prominently in Dahlkemper's race against English. The incumbent's vote against both versions of the broadly unpopular $700 billion Wall Street bailout package did not stave off criticism from Dahlkemper, who suggested the financial rescue was a necessary evil but blamed Republican deregulation efforts for causing the crisis in the first place.

After taking office in 2009, Dahlkemper voted in favor of the $787 billion economic stimulus package, but she said she worried that it fell short. She cited economists who recommended a stimulus of $1.2 trillion, and she lamented that more money was not directed to infrastructure spending. Still, Dahlkemper voiced hope that the measure would prevent the unemployment rate from reaching double-digits.

Energy

Dahlkemper made energy independence a key issue in her House race. She criticized rising gas prices under the George W. Bush administration and called for increased investments in both traditional and alternative-energy sources.

Once in the House, she faced what she called a "particularly difficult" vote on the Democratic cap-and-trade bill in June 2009. Dahlkemper ultimately voted against the measure, saying that while she was concerned about the effects of climate change, the bill would place a "disproportionate burden" on northwestern Pennsylvania, leading to higher costs for residents.

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