Dahlkemper was born Kathleen Ann Steenberge in Erie, one of seven children of Carl W. and M. Janet Clarke Steenberge. She graduated in 1982 from Edinboro State College with a degree in dietetics.
Early career
After graduating, she worked for more than 20 years as a clinical dietician, first briefly in Houston, Texas and later in the Erie area. Since 1997, she has been part-owner, human resources manager and special projects director of Dahlkemper Landscape Architects and Contractors, a major landscaping firm in the area. She is a co-founder/director of the Lake Erie Arboretum at Frontier Park.
U.S. House of Representatives
Committee assignments
Committee on Agriculture
*Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy, and Research
*Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition and Forestry
Dahlkemper announced her candidacy for the Democratic nomination for the 3rd District in October 2007. As a first-time candidate for political office, she defeated the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's favored candidate, Erie CountyCouncilman Kyle Foust, by an unexpectedly wide 19-point margin. In the general election, Dahlkemper faced seven-term Republican incumbent Phil English. During the campaign, she attacked English for breaking his original promise to only serve six terms in Congress, and also tied him to the Bush administration. She raised $872,000 to English's $2.2 million, but was aided by large spending by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. In the November election, Dahlkemper won in an upset, taking 51.2 percent of the vote to English's 48.8 percent. Though she won only two of the district's seven counties, Dahlkemper secured victory by running up a large margin in Erie County, which she won by nearly 16,000 votes. Dahlkemper was the first Democrat to represent what is now the 3rd District since Joseph Vigorito was toppled by Marc L. Marks in 1976, and only the third Democrat to represent the district since 1893. Although the district is anchored by heavily Democratic Erie, the largest city in the district, it has historically elected moderate Republicans. Dahlkemper was the first woman to represent northwest Pennsylvania in the House, and was one of two women in the 19-member delegation from Pennsylvania, the other being Allyson Schwartz of the Philadelphia area. Her husband, Dan, was elected the first male President of the Congressional Spouses’ freshman class in 2009.
2010 congressional re-election campaign
Dahlkemper was defeated by Republican Mike Kelly, a car dealer from the far southern portion of the district by 11.4%, the highest margin of defeat for any incumbent congressperson from Pennsylvania in 2010. While she carried Erie County, she lost badly in the rest of the district.
In March 2013, Dahlkemper announced her candidacy for Erie County executive, challenging incumbent Democrat Barry Grossman. She defeated Grossman in the May 21 Democratic primary with 52% of the vote. In the November general election, Dahlkemper defeated Republican nominee Don Tucci, winning 57% of the vote. She took office as county executive on January 6, 2014.
2017 Erie County executive campaign
Dahlkemper ran for reelection in 2017, winning by 307 votes, with 50.15 percent of the vote over her Republican opponent, Art Oligeri, who garnered 49.64 percent.
Personal life
Dahlkemper married her first husband while in college; they divorced when the marriage became abusive, and she raised her son as a single mother on food stamp assistance. She later married Dan Dahlkemper, who adopted her son; they had four additional children.
