As expected, Republican incumbents Phil English, 3rd District, and Melissa Hart, 4th District, retained their U.S. House seats Tuesday, easily outdistancing challengers AnnDrea Benson and Stevan Drobac Jr., respectively.

English, 46, Erie, earned his fifth term in the House in the 3rd District -- formerly the 21st District -- that includes most of Mercer County, all of Erie and Crawford counties, and parts of Warren, Venango and Butler counties.

"I was really delighted," English said Tuesday night from Erie. "I think what this shows is we got a bipartisan mandate from the voters. And I'm going to go back to Washington and focus like a laser beam on the economy."

English held a commanding edge in virtually every corner of the district over Benson, 60, a Green Party candidate and attorney from Edinboro who entered the race after no Democrat came forward.

"This is humbling," English said. "But I think this is the broadest coalition anyone has built in memory in this district. And I know this commits me to work with people on both sides of the aisle to meet local needs and to address the legitimate needs of western Pennsylvania."

"I give the Green Party candidate a lot of credit for running an active campaign and for a first-time candidate bringing new people into the process," English said. "The challenge is now on us to keep them involved. I think competition is a good thing."

With 93 percent of the vote in, English led by a margin of 103,039 or 77 percent to 30,088 or 23 percent.

"Obviously, she worked overtime to reach out to Democratic voters, but I think the numbers showed we managed to attract a large portion of the Democratic base, as well as the Republican base," English said.

Hart, a lawyer and former state senator from Bradford Woods, Allegheny County, earned her second term in the 4th District that includes Farrell, West Middlesex, Shenango Township and a sliver of Hermitage in Mercer County. The bulk of the district is north and east of Pittsburgh.

Hart held a 115,302 or 63 percent to 67,730 or 37 percent advantage over Drobac with 96 percent of the vote in.

"There's so many things that I've started work on," Mrs. Hart said Tuesday evening from Hampton Township, Allegheny County. "I asked the voters to allow me to continue working on them and it looks like they're allowing me to do that."

Drobac, a retired Center Township, Beaver County, policeman who is laid off from US Airways where he is a flight attendant, was overwhelmed despite garnering a nearly 61 percent to 48 percent edge in Mercer County.

Despite the geographic distance separating the bulk of Hart's district from Mercer County, Hart said she is confident she can provide solid representation for the area over the next two years.

"I know folks are interested in having someone represent them," she said. "I want to understand the communities and their needs and make sure I'm a good advocate for them in Washington."