U.S. Rep. Phil English's message has not changed much in eight years, but his delivery had a new wrinkle Monday.

English, a 45-year-old Republican, said Monday at a press conference in his hometown of Erie that he is running for a fifth term in Congress.

"My promise today is the same one I made eight years ago," English said. "If you send me to Washington, I won't change. I'll bring the same work ethic, commitment to public service and independence to Congress that I have since my first swearing-in."

During his speech, English touched on about a half-dozen familiar issues and a seventh that every lawmaker took up after terrorists crashed planes into the World Trade Center towers, the Pentagon and a field in Western Pennsylvania.

"I'll continue to support the war against terrorism and the effort to guarantee homeland security," English said. "But terrorism is not the only challenge we face."

"My top priority is pursuing policies to get the economy growing again," said English. "I'll fight to pass balanced economic stimulus legislation with new incentives to create jobs; and I'll continue to push for a stronger trade policy for America, with a more level playing field for our employers and workers."

English also touched on his desire to pass legislation to reform education, simplify the tax code, "preserve and protect Social Security," add a prescription drug program under Medicare, and bring high-speed Internet technology to rural regions.

The new wrinkle in English's delivery: his campaign Web site aired the speech live. English said he is the first incumbent congressman to simultaneously webcast a campaign announcement on the Internet.

English has represented the 21st Congressional District -- including all of Mercer and Erie counties and parts of Crawford and Butler counties -- since 1994. After the speech, English said he has become one of the "highly-placed rank-and-file members on key committees" in Pennsylvania's delegation, which shrinks from 21 members to 19 next year. English is a member of the House Ways and Means Committee.

English is running for re-election in the newly-created 3rd District. Under legislation passed earlier this month by the GOP-controlled state Legislature, the new district includes all of Erie County and parts of Mercer, Crawford, Butler, Warren, Venango and Armstrong counties.

The Mercer County portion includes about 107,000 people, or roughly one-sixth of the 640,000-person district. The southwest corner of the county -- 13,000 people in Farrell, Wheatland, West Middlesex, Shenango Township and part of Hermitage -- was placed into a district stretching south into Allegheny County.

In both northwestern congressional districts, Erie, a city with a substantial Democratic registration edge, is the major population center. But two Erie Republicans -- English and former Gov. and U.S. Rep. Tom Ridge -- have carried the district for the past two decades.

In his first run for Congress in 1994, English raised $450,795 and collected 49 percent of the districtwide vote to eke out a 2-point win over Democrat Bill Leavens of Sharon, who raised $465,191. That was the only campaign in which English raised less money than his opponent or earned less than half of the districtwide vote, though he earned only 51 percent of the vote in his first re-election campaign in the narrowest of his four November wins two years later -- a 2,871-vote win over Democrat Ron DiNicola of Erie in 1996.

English earned more than 60 percent of the districtwide vote in his past two election wins over Larry Klemens of Sharon and Marc Flitter of suburban Erie, respectively. English raised more than $1 million for each of his three re-election campaigns, outpacing his opponents at least 2-to-1 in each race. English had a whopping 57-to-1 money edge over the shoestring campaign of Klemens, who raised less than $20,000 in 1998.

English told The Erie News that he already has a quarter-million dollars in his campaign war chest. To date, no one has announced plans to challenge English this year.