In one of the most hotly contested post-redistricting races in the nation, Representative Tim Holden is proving himself the Democratic incumbent that could. Holden is fighting for a sixth term as south central Pennsylvania's voice in Congress after a Republican state legislature set him against twenty-year Congressional veteran George Gekas.

Though Holden enjoyed easy victories in his last four campaigns, this centrist with local roots appeared to be in trouble after his home territory surrounding Schuylkill County joined with Gekas' Harrisburg stronghold to form the new seventeenth district. Sixty percent of the new district includes Gekas's previous constituency, and George Bush carried this solidly Republican area in 2000 with 57 percent of the vote.

Holden has since impressed national party leaders by turning this race into a possible upset. A September poll indicated Holden was leading by eight points, showing the value of his commitment to issue-by-issue voting, active personal connection to the district, and a well-funded campaign.

Holden was born in 1957 in St. Clair, Pennsylvania to a family with a long history of local leadership. His father was the Schuylkill County Commissioner for nearly twenty years, and his great grandfather founded the Miners Benevolent Association, the precursor to the United Mine Workers.

Holden, a Roman Catholic, attended St. Mary's Elementary School, St. Clair Area High School, and Fork Union Military Academy before entering the University of Richmond as a football star. His sports career ended after being stricken with tuberculosis, and in 1980 he completed his B.A. in sociology at Bloomsburg State University. Holden earned real estate and insurance broker licenses before working as a probation officer in the Schuylkill County Juvenile Probation Office. In 1985, Holden became the county's Sheriff and focused his attention on starting up a D.A.R.E. program and cracking down on "deadbeat dads."

His first campaign for congress in 1992 was an expensive, tight race in which he concentrated on appealing to the average worker. Running against lawyer John E. Jones, he pointed out that "I'm not personally wealthy, and I don't just come around when I'm running for office."

Since then he has established himself as a politician who, according to his campaign, "works the district hard" and won his elections with impressive majorities ranging as high as 66 percent.

Holden prides himself on being one of the more conservative Democrats in congress. He is anti-abortion, pro-gun, and frequently sided with Republicans in opposing former President Clinton. He voted to override Mr. Clinton's veto of the bill ending the "marriage-penalty" tax. But he has also built close ties to the blue-collar unions, staunchly opposing NAFTA on the basis of protecting American jobs.

Holden has voted with his party on budget issues, and stands staunchly for organized labor. He sided with President Clinton on the Family Medical Leave Act and refused to support the Republican version of the prescription drug plan for seniors, attacking it for primarily serving private interests. In a state populated by more senior citizens than any other besides Florida, Holden is a strong supporter of Medicare and opposes any privatization of Social Security.

He backed this summer's crackdown on corporate fraud and focused on the economic issues relevant to a home region that is still reeling from the collapse of major industries like coal and steel production. With a slogan of "fair trade, not free trade," he has stood against trade deals like those with the World Trade Organization, hoping to ensure no more U.S. jobs are exported.

During the campaign the issue of the lagging economy was brought home to the seventeenth district by the proposed sale of the Hershey Foods Corp. The prospect of this local employer falling into the hands of a giant like Nestle kept economic issues fresh and stinging in voters' minds. Holden, along with Gekas, rallied against the sale and helped apply some of the pressure that lead the trustees to abandon the sale in late September.

Both he and his opponent support the president's Iraq resolution and the Homeland Security bill. Holden knows his district is overwhelmingly Republican and pro-President Bush, and he insists he is in touch with their conservative political leanings. While Gekas is running a campaign focusing on his ability to work with the president, Holden emphasizes that he agrees with Mr. Bush's conservatism without the big business, partisan strings attached. As Holden's campaign manager described, Holden can be counted on to work with the president without simply being "a rubber stamp."

--Molly Farrell, Online NewsHour