Allen was first elected in 1996, defeating Republican incumbent James Longley, Jr. with 55 percent of votes cast to Longley's 45 percent. Allen was re-elected five times, receiving over 55 percent of the vote each time in his district, until his defeat in his 2008 run for the U.S. Senate. After, Allen was appointed President and CEO of the Association of American Publishers and began his term on May 1, 2009. His book Dangerous Convictions: What's Really Wrong with the U.S. Congress came out in 2013.