WASHINGTON -- As U.S. Rep. Phil English runs for a seventh term in Congress, the Erie Republican has an eye on another elected post, one of his party's most powerful leadership positions.

Mr. English, 50, whose district stretches from Lake Erie into Butler and Armstrong counties, is in a three-way race to become the next chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, or NRCC, the Washington-based political body that coordinates campaigns for hundreds of Republican congressional candidates across the country. House Republicans will vote on the position when they return after the Nov. 7 election.

If he wins, he would gain significant influence over the GOP's political strategy, just as emboldened Democrats try to take advantage of a series of unfolding scandals and growing public discontent with the Iraq war. To ward off that challenge and build a long-term majority, Republican candidates have to appeal consistently to a broader range of voters, Mr. English argues.

"I think the Republican Party has been too addicted to top-down, media-driven campaigns," he said in a recent interview. "I'd like to put together a new generation of talent in the party."

The Republican Party "has to be a more consistent, principled, big-tent party," he said. "If we do that, I think we're going to effectively be a permanent majority party in the House of Representatives."

His candidacy for a leadership post could help return Pennsylvania's congressional delegation to its strongest position since the mid-1990s, when five congressmen from the state held important committee chairmanships and wielded considerable clout among their colleagues.

At the time, Mr. English, a former Erie city controller and chief of staff for Rep. Melissa Hart during her time in the state Senate, was a freshman member of the historic "class of 1994," a group of Republicans who swept aside decades of Democratic power and took control of the House.

But Mr. English squeaked by with a victory in a district that centers on the Democratic stronghold of Erie. The NRCC pumped significant resources into his run for re-election in 1996, helping him hold onto the seat.

Both parties have campaign committees in the Senate and the House. The NRCC, which occupies a floor of the Republican National Committee headquarters in Washington, is a formidable organization, with 70 to 80 staffers at the height of the season and a budget of $160 million over the two-year congressional campaign cycle.

Mr. English has taken an active role in adding to his party's war chest, raising $2.7 million over the past several years. Rep. Tom Reynolds, of New York, the current NRCC chairman, tapped him to head the committee on "open seats and challengers." He traveled to nine districts from Minnesota to Florida in August.

His two opponents for the committee chairmanship are Reps. Pete Sessions, of Texas, and Tom Cole, of Oklahoma.

The winner of their race will face a rough political climate. A sex scandal involving former Rep. Mark Foley, of Florida, has only heightened public dissatisfaction with Congress, and Democrats see a strong opportunity to pick up the 15 seats they need to take control of the House. Mr. Reynolds, the current NRCC chairman, faces a tough fight for re-election.

But, in the face of significant Republican losses, the position still offers considerable power.

"It undoubtedly helps you build relationships," said G. Terry Madonna, a pollster and professor at Franklin and Marshall College. "You get to meet the candidates. You get to know them. They're somewhat beholden to you."

Before Mr. English can take on challengers for the NRCC chairmanship, he must win re-election next month.

Since securing his seat in 1994, he has become a candidate who easily defeats opponents, despite a slight Democratic registration edge in his district. He won 60 percent of the vote in 2004, beating Democrat Steven Porter, a retired educator who is challenging him again this year. Timothy Hagberg, of the Constitution Party, also is running.

Mr. Porter, 63, acknowledged that he faces an uphill battle. He trails Mr. English in fund raising. The NRCC's counterpart, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, hasn't offered help, seeing the race as out of reach.

Nevertheless, Mr. Porter, a former professor of musical theater at Mercyhurst College, said he felt compelled to run this year. He called Mr. English a "Bush clone" who has done little to stem Western Pennsylvania's loss of manufacturing jobs.

Brad Moore, Mr. English's campaign manager, said Mr. English is an independent-minded moderate who has used his post on the Ways and Means Committee to fight for jobs in the state.

Mr. Porter sued Mr. English on Friday, accusing his campaign of running ads that distort his position on the legalization of prostitution. Mr. Moore said lawyers had cleared all advertisements.

"This lawsuit is completely without merit," he said. "It's not going to be a problem for us, but it could be for Mr. Porter."