They are the newest members of the 19-member Pennsylvania congressional delegation... Amy Walter, editor of the Cook Political Report, a Washington-based political newsletter, said ... Schwartz and Dent, both of whom are experienced Pennsylvania legislators, have "significant skills" that will help in Congress. "They have proven themselves in past experiences," Walter said...

Schwartz has a special distinction: She will be the only Democratic female in the state delegation and just the second woman in the state's delegation. Republican Rep. Melissa Hart of the Fourth District is the other.

And the former state senator also knows what it's like to work in a GOP-dominated environment, having toiled under Republican rule for all but one of her 14 years as state senator, her spokeswoman, Rachel Leed, said.

Schwartz has an interest in following in Hoeffel's footsteps on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, because of all the sprawl issues in Montgomery County, which is a large part of her district.

An advantage Schwartz has, Leed said, is that she has served in Harrisburg with several members who now make up Pennsylvania's congressional delegation. "And she's willing to cross aisles when it can improve the lives of Pennsylvanians," Leed said.

Allyson Schwartz, 56, is a four-term state senator representing the Fourth District, which includes parts of Montgomery and Philadelphia Counties. She is a graduate of Simmons College and has a master's degree from the Bryn Mawr School of Social Work. She is married to David Schwartz and has two sons. They live in Jenkintown.

Philadelphia Inquirer, Nov 5, 2004

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