a surprisingly narrow 46%–42% lead over Altmire. Altmire's continued to climb as Hart's stalled, and five days before the November 7, 2006 election, the Cook Political Report altered its rating of the race from "Likely Republican" to "Toss up." On Election Day, Hart was defeated by a margin of 52%–48%. Hart's loss was one component of a broad Republican meltdown in Pennsylvania. Senator Rick Santorum, who was at the top of the Republican ticket, lost his re-election bid by a very large margin. Pennsylvania also saw the defeat of three other incumbent Republican members of Congress. Democratic victories for the governor, and Democratic gains in the state House of Representatives also occurred that year. Following the election, she returned to the law firm Keevican Weiss Bauerle & Hirsch, where she had worked before being elected to Congress. She returned to her specialization of "general practice and business development." 2008 election Hart announced in July 2007 that she would run against Altmire in 2008. Despite speculation that retired athlete and former gubernatorial candidate Lynn Swann would run for the seat, Hart was unopposed for the Republican nomination. In the general election, she was again defeated by Altmire, this time by a much larger margin. Later career Following Hart’s departure from the House in 2007, she rejoined her law firm, Keevican Weiss Bauerle & Hirsch (now Keevican Weiss & Bauerle), where she worked to build and chair the government relations section. She later returned to her original law firm, Hergenroeder Rega Ewing & Kennedy in 2017 to work with a group of attorneys with whom she had begun her legal career. In 2018, Hart was elected to the Board of Directors of Enterprise Bank. Also in 2018, Hart co-founded, with Tim Watkins and her former House colleague, Thaddeus McCotter, a political strategy, creative, and media firm, RPC Strategies, LLC. Hart sought to retake her state senate seat in a 2012 special election triggered when her successor, Jane Orie, was forced to resign after being convicted of corruption and forgery. However, she lost the Republican primary to state Representative Randy Vulakovich. In December 2021, Hart announced her intent to run for governor of Pennsylvania in the 2022 Republican primary. She dropped out on May 13, 2022 and endorsed former Congressman Lou Barletta. Her name stilled appear on the ballot though and garnered 54,000 votes. Personal life Hart is Roman Catholic and holds anti-abortion