Targeted Races

Kanjorski (D-PA-11)

’08 Election Status:

Re-Election

Challengers:

Lou Barletta, Hazleton Mayor-R

Year Elected:

1984

2006 Election %:

72%

2008 Cook Rating:

Likely Democrat

2008 Rothenberg Rating:

Toss up/Tilt Democrat

2004 Presidential Vote:

51%-49% Kerry

% Latino Population:

2.5%

% Latino Voting Population:

4%

Candidate Websites:

Lou Barletta
Paul Kanjorski

RESULT: Paul Kanjorski (D) 52% - Lou Barletta (R) 48%

The Race:

Louis J. Barletta was elected to the Hazelton, PA City Council in 1998, and he was the only Republican on the five-member board. Barletta served on the City Council until 2000, when he became Hazelton’s mayor. Barletta touted his win in the heavily Democratic district as a mandate to bring business sense into government. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 3/18/07] In 2002, Barletta ran against 12-term Congressman Paul Kanjorski and held the incumbent to an unusually low 56 percent of the vote. In 2006, Barletta gained national attention by spearheading efforts to pass the toughest local level anti-immigration legislation in the country.

Barletta has challenged Kanjorski again in the 2007-2008 cycle, when Kanjorski was in the “toughest re-election fight of any veteran House Democrat after catching flak for steering nearly $10 million in federal contracts to a now-bankrupt technology firm controlled by relatives.” [Associated Press, 10/9/08, The Times-Tribune, 11/1/08]

While Barletta used the issue of immigration to gain prominence and media attention, Kanjorski’s financial scandal and other issues have gained serious traction in the District. Barletta and Kanjorski’s positions on immigration are so similar that their “policy statements, stump speeches and candid responses to reporters' questions have revealed little difference between where Barletta and Kanjorski stand on illegal immigration.” [The Times-Tribune, 11/1/08]

The Kanjorski Position:

ENFORCEMENT ONLY. Kanjorski has advocated deportation-only policies in Congress and his re-election campaign. His campaign web site states, “Paul believes that we need secure borders and strong enforcement of laws already on the books to prevent illegal immigration. He opposes amnesty for illegal immigrants and is a cosponsor of the Secure America through Verification and Enforcement (SAVE) Act… Paul has long been a supporter of making English the official language of the United States government because the use of English as a common language remains vital to our nation’s prosperity.” [Paul Kanjorski for Congress, accessed 8/20/08] Kanjorski has a history of voting for draconian immigration policies. In 2005, he voted for the Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act, which would “clamp down on illegal immigration and toughen border security. It does not include any new avenue for current illegal immigrants to gain legal status.” He also supported the Secure Fence Act of 2006 to build 700 miles of fence along the Mexican border. [Washington Post vote database, accessed 8/20/08]

The Barletta Position:

ENFORCEMENT ONLY. Barletta was prepared to make combating illegal immigration his signature issue, but he has had to diversify his portfolio in order to turn the District into a real battleground. A frequent guest on Lou Dobbs Tonight over the past several years, Barletta hitched his star to his work guiding the “Illegal Immigration Relief Act” to passage in the city council as Mayor of Hazelton. The legislation “fines landlords $1,000 a day for knowingly renting to illegal immigrants and requires tenants to get a permit showing they are here legally, the first time this has been done anywhere. The ordinance also banned employers from city business and fines them $1,000 a day for each undocumented worker they knowingly hire. And it makes English the official language of city business.” [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 7/15/06] Barletta said the immigration ordinance was intended to “get rid of illegal people.” The ordinance was struck down in court, and the U.S. Court of Appeals was scheduled to hear arguments four days before the election. [The Morning Call, 9/8/08]

On his campaign website Barletta said, “I think it’s reasonable that people show proof of citizenship before getting a driver’s license. I think employers should be penalized for hiring illegal immigrants. I think that if a person is in this country illegally and further breaks our laws, that after that person serves their time here, they [should] be sent back to their own country.” [Lou Barletta for Congress, accessed 8/21/08]

Recently, though, Barletta conceded that immigration may have been eclipsed as an issue in his campaign to oust Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D), and said that energy and the economy have taken priority for voters.” [AP, 7/16/08] This summer, Barletta released an ad that said: “If we keep electing the same people, we’ll keep getting the same results. It’s about the issues facing all of us today the economy, jobs, the housing crisis, health care, energy and yes, illegal immigration.” [The Frontrunner, 8/13/08]



Obama’s coattails helped Kanjorski win tight race

11/06/08 | The Times-Tribune | Mr. Obama's coattails alone weren't responsible for Mr. Kanjorski's defeat of Republican Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta. The dour economy, disgust with President Bush and an overwhelming sentiment that the country is on the wrong track all played large roles, as well as the aggressive, well-funded campaigns run by Mr. Kanjorski and other Democrats…By then, the race had become solely about the economy rather than Mr. Barletta's pet issue -- illegal immigration -- a huge source of his success early in the race, Mr. Mitchell said. | Read the story

Democrati Kanjorski hangs on in Pa

11/05/08 | UPI | Veteran U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski, D-Pa., held on to his seat Tuesday, edging out a Republican mayor known as a foe of illegal immigration...The race was a rematch with Barletta, who challenged Kanjorski in 2002. Since then, Barletta has become a national hero among foes of immigration by pioneering a city ordinance penalizing businesses that hire illegal immigrants and landlords who rent to them. | Read the story

Phil English loses seat; Murtha, Kanjorski hang on

11/05/08 | Associated Press | In northeastern Pennsylvania, Kanjorski, a 12-term congressman, collected 52 percent of the vote to defeat Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta, a Republican mayor who became nationally prominent for his stand against illegal immigrants... Barletta pushed through a law in his community of 30,000 that sought to deny business permits to companies that employ illegal immigrants and fine landlords who rent to them. A federal judge struck down the ordinance as unconstitutional but his efforts were emulated in other towns around the country. | Read the story

Kanjorski, Barletta square off in only debate

10/30/08 | The Associated Press State & Local Wire | Barletta, the Hazleton mayor who rose to national prominence when he cracked down on illegal immigrants in his small city, assailed the 12-term incumbent for accepting thousands in campaign contributions from mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and other financial firms he helped to regulate as the chairman of a House subcommittee…Though Barletta has made illegal immigration a centerpiece of his campaign, most of the debate focused on economic matters. | Read the story