Former U.S. Congressman Jim Gerlach (R-PA) gave a well-attended talk during his visit to Penn last Thursday. The event was co-hosted by GPA, Penn College Republicans, and the Penn Political Review. Nearly all of the 88 seats in the room were filled.
Getting the guest of honor to Huntsman Hall took longer than originally expected, allowing the assembled audience to fuel up on freshly-baked pizza from Zesto Pizza & Grill; few in the room seemed to mind the shortage of paper plates when there was so much food to go around. When the congressman finally arrived, everybody was full, energized, and paying full attention to the speaker of the hour.
Congressman Gerlach represented Pennsylvania’s 6th congressional district (an area that includes parts of the Philadelphia Main Line and other Philadelphia suburbs) from 2003 until January 3 of this year. His district is one of the most competitive in the country (its most recent Cook Partisan Voting Index was R+1). Despite representing many Democratic constituents, Congressman Gerlach has long been respected in his district as a moderate Republican.
Gerlach’s congressional service included a stint on the House Committee on Ways and Means and membership in the German-American Caucus, which he co-founded with fellow Pennsylvania congressman Tim Holden to promote greater transatlantic ties with Germany.
The congressman spoke about his 12 years in Washington with a mix of pride and nostalgia. The secret to his electoral success: he listens to his constituents. Gerlach viewed his time in office as a mouthpiece for his constituents’ political voices. His constituents, he explained, were both his best sounding board for legislative actions and his go-to source for reelection campaign financing. In one of his more memorable anecdotes, he claimed that the Republican leadership in the House always gave him the partisan flexibility to vote in accordance with the views of his district.
In person, Congressman Gerlach fills the room with a loud, confident voice. However, he is affable and friendly with down-to-earth demeanor, even in front of eighty-plus college students. Despite his many years as a politician, it isn’t difficult to catch a trace of the town lawyer and ordinary neighbor that Jim Gerlach was before all this began.
When asked why he chose not to seek reelection in 2014, Congressman Gerlach cited personal reasons, including a desire to spend more time with his children. Despite his exit from office, he clearly maintains active interest in and connections to Washington, where many of his former colleagues remain.
Gerlach is also friends with former U.S. Congressman Jon Runyan (R-NJ), who spoke at Penn in October.
Thursday night’s event, which was overall a success, is the start of what its host organizations hope will be another great year of political speakers at the University of Pennsylvania.
Getting the guest of honor to Huntsman Hall took longer than originally expected, allowing the assembled audience to fuel up on freshly-baked pizza from Zesto Pizza & Grill; few in the room seemed to mind the shortage of paper plates when there was so much food to go around. When the congressman finally arrived, everybody was full, energized, and paying full attention to the speaker of the hour.
Congressman Gerlach represented Pennsylvania’s 6th congressional district (an area that includes parts of the Philadelphia Main Line and other Philadelphia suburbs) from 2003 until January 3 of this year. His district is one of the most competitive in the country (its most recent Cook Partisan Voting Index was R+1). Despite representing many Democratic constituents, Congressman Gerlach has long been respected in his district as a moderate Republican.
Gerlach’s congressional service included a stint on the House Committee on Ways and Means and membership in the German-American Caucus, which he co-founded with fellow Pennsylvania congressman Tim Holden to promote greater transatlantic ties with Germany.
The congressman spoke about his 12 years in Washington with a mix of pride and nostalgia. The secret to his electoral success: he listens to his constituents. Gerlach viewed his time in office as a mouthpiece for his constituents’ political voices. His constituents, he explained, were both his best sounding board for legislative actions and his go-to source for reelection campaign financing. In one of his more memorable anecdotes, he claimed that the Republican leadership in the House always gave him the partisan flexibility to vote in accordance with the views of his district.
In person, Congressman Gerlach fills the room with a loud, confident voice. However, he is affable and friendly with down-to-earth demeanor, even in front of eighty-plus college students. Despite his many years as a politician, it isn’t difficult to catch a trace of the town lawyer and ordinary neighbor that Jim Gerlach was before all this began.
When asked why he chose not to seek reelection in 2014, Congressman Gerlach cited personal reasons, including a desire to spend more time with his children. Despite his exit from office, he clearly maintains active interest in and connections to Washington, where many of his former colleagues remain.
Gerlach is also friends with former U.S. Congressman Jon Runyan (R-NJ), who spoke at Penn in October.
Thursday night’s event, which was overall a success, is the start of what its host organizations hope will be another great year of political speakers at the University of Pennsylvania.