Former Congresswoman Melissa Hart outlined her campaign priorities Wednesday as she formally launched her bid to become Pennsylvania’s first female governor.

Hart, 59, of Bradford Woods, is entering a crowded field of more than a dozen GOP candidates who so far have declared their candidacies for the state’s highest office. Two-term Democratic incumbent Gov. Tom Wolf can’t seek reelection because of term limits.

Hart, who served in the state Senate before serving three terms as Pennsylvania’s first Republican U.S. congresswoman, has not held political office since losing a reelection bid in 2006. She said she feels now is the time to reenter the political arena to tackle the issues she sees in Harrisburg.

Former Congresswoman Melissa Hart is announcing that she is running for governor.

She’s joining a crowded field of Republicans running for the office this year, as Gov. Tom Wolf cannot seek re-election due to term limits. pic.twitter.com/TXEYKG2Yy1

— Julia Felton (@JuliaFelton16) January 5, 2022

“I have a different resume than anyone else in this race,” she said during a campaign kickoff event at the Sen. John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh’s Strip District.

She said her candidacy also will be informed by her current job as an attorney at Pittsburgh-based Hergenroeder Rega Ewing & Kennedy and her work on the board of directors for Enterprise Bank, a small business lender that works with local entrepreneurs.

“I’ve learned through them and I’ve learned through the clients we have at my law firm, the challenge that, for some reason, the state keeps throwing before everyone who tries to take a risk and build a business in this commonwealth,” Hart said.

Hart said bureaucracy and high corporate taxes make Pennsylvania an “unattractive place to start a business.”

She said she’d like to make the state more business-friendly with lower taxes and less government control. Hart cited covid-19 restrictions that shut down many Pennsylvania businesses deemed nonessential as an example of what she considers to be “government thinking it knows better than you.”

As a lawyer, Hart said she helped clients “find ways they could fit into those categories” so their businesses would be labeled essential and permitted to stay open amid pandemic shutdowns.

Hart also promised she would work to improve education and be an advocate for school choice. She said she also would welcome jobs in the energy sector, address crime and fight corruption in Harrisburg if elected.

After graduating from North Allegheny Senior High School, Hart earned a bachelor’s degree from Washington & Jefferson College and a law degree from the University of Pittsburgh.

Hart’s 15-year hiatus from politics could be a detriment, said G. Terry Madonna, senior fellow in residence for political affairs at Millersville University.

“When you’re out as long as she is, you’re going to have to build your name recognition,” Madonna said. “She’s going to have to rebuild her identity. She’s going to have to give voters a reason to cast a ballot for her.”

With about a dozen candidates vying for the Republican nomination, it’ll be important for candidates to be well-known statewide, Madonna said. State Sen. Jake Corman, who has campaigned in Pittsburgh, and former Congressman Lou Barletta may be the most well-known candidates, he said.

Still, he said, with her robust political background, Madonna said he thinks “people might recognize” Hart even after more than a decade away from elected office.

The fact that she is a woman trying to become the state’s first female governor could bring more women voters to the polls, he added.

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