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.
Speaking with CQ Politics on Wednesday, Surma noted her long service in Pennsylvania government and said she would emphasize issues such as national security, immigration and health care.
"I am absolutely terrified, with my background in law enforcement, international affairs and terrorism, about a recurrence of 9/11. So that's one of my main reasons."
She also said that she is concerned about "national security and the drug trade in the United States and our relations with very volatile countries and the 21 countries that are currently listed as terrorist nations right now that are involved in drug trafficking."
CQ Politics interviewed Surma two days after Republican Brian Lasher, a social studies teacher, withdrew his candidacy for the 3rd District seat. Several other Republicans are weighing bids.
Dahlkemper is one of 49 Democrats in the current 111th Congress whose districts voted for John McCain over Barack Obama.
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