Pennsylvania Republican Elaine Surma, who has a background in law enforcement, is weighing a 2010 campaign against first-term Democratic Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper in the state’s Erie-area 3rd District.

Surma, who is a senior agent with the state Attorney General’s office, recently filed a statement of candidacy and a statement of organization with the Federal Election Commission.

Surma described her campaign as an “exploratory” effort and says she’ll decide sometime this fall whether to wage a full-fledged bid against Dahlkemper, who unseated Republican Rep. Phil English in the 2008 election.