It isn’t unusual for members of the U.S. House of Representatives, who have to run for office every two years, to be planning their moves more than a year before Election Day.
Rep. Charlie Dent is planning to bow out.
The Allentown Republican, who has represented the Lehigh Valley’s District 15 in Washington, D.C. since 2005, Thursday night announced that he will not seek re-election to an eighth term next year.
“I’ve worked to instill stability, certainty and predictability in Washington,” Mr. Dent said in the announcement released by his office. “I’ve fought to fulfill the basic functions of government, like keeping the lights on and preventing default.
“Regrettably, that has not been easy given the disruptive outside influences that profit from increased polarization and ideological rigidity that leads to dysfunction, disorder and chaos.”
The announcement did not indicate what Mr. Dent’s next venture might be, though he did say would “continue my role, both inside and soon outside of government, of giving voice to the sensible center and working to solve problems for the American people through smart policy — the product of negotiation, cooperation and inevitably, compromise.”
Mr. Dent, 57, a native of Allentown and a graduate of Penn State and Lehigh universities, served in the Pennsylvania House from 1991 to 1998 and the state Senate from 1999 to 2004, when he won the U.S. House seat formerly held by current U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey.
Mr. Dent has risen through the ranks in Congress to become an influential member of the House Appropriations Committee and the House Ethics Committee of which he became chairman during the 2015-16 Congress.
He also serves as co-chair of the Tuesday Group Caucus, “a group of more than 50 center-right Republicans dedicated to effective and responsible governance.”
But as a Republican representing a number of eastern Pennsylvania communities with Democratic tendencies, Mr. Dent has occasionally crossed party lines. In 2010, he was one of 15 House Republicans to support repeal of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” ban on gay service members.
In the past year, he has been even less of a team player, especially in his opposition to President Donald Trump. Mr. Dent, who was a supporter of Ohio Gov. John Kasich in the 2016 election, went so far as to not attend the Republican National Convention in Cleveland when Mr. Trump was nominated.
He also has criticized Mr. Trump’s rhetoric toward the Russians as being “far too accommodating and conciliatory,” and expressed his opposition to a pending U.S.-Mexico sugar deal that the Trump administration has drawn up.
In May, he was one of 20 House Republicans to vote against the repeal of Obamacare, arguing that compromises to the far-right Freedom Caucus made the bill “treacherous.”
“Will it cause headaches for people?” he asked rhetorically. “Absolutely.”
While many blamed the repeal’s failure on Congress, Mr. Dent pointed back to the White House.
“One of the failures was the president never laid out a plan or his core principles and never sold them to the American people,” he said. “Outsourced the whole issue to Congress.”
Mr. Dent said his decision to not run was made through consultation with his family.
“Since the government shutdown in 2013, my family and I have engaged in periodic discussions regarding my future in public service,” Mr. Dent said in his statement. “I have served as a legislator at the state and federal levels for nearly 27 years. I started that service prior to marrying my wife and the births of our three beloved children.
“Earlier this year, my family discussions about the future increased in frequency, and I looped in a small group of immediate family, friends and senior staff, ultimately deciding in mid-summer that I would not seek another term.”
Mr. Dent concluded by thanking the residents of District 15 — which includes Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton, Berks, Dauphin and Lebanon counties — “for giving me this tremendous opportunity to serve and their steadfast support and confidence in me all these years.”
Dan Majors: dmajors@post-gazette.com and 412-263-1456.
First Published: September 8, 2017, 2:14 a.m.
