Kathy Dahlkemper

Pennsylvania Democratic Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper , who is serving her first term in a politically competitive district that the Republicans will try to reclaim in 2010, is the newest member of the Blue Dog Coalition of Democrats who promote fiscal restraint.

Dahlkemper, who defeated seven-term Republican Rep. Phil English in the Erie-based 3rd District, said that she was “very pleased” to join “a group that shares my strong belief in fiscal discipline and responsibility.”  

The Blue Dog Coalition isn’t well-known outside Capitol Hill, and Dahlkemper’s membership isn’t something that’s the stuff of campaign commercials.