Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D-Pa.) debated his challenger, Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta, for the first and only time on Wednesday, the culmination of a Congressional campaign that has become one of the tightest in the country. (Watch highlights here.)
Barletta spent much of the time attacking Kanjorski, “his friends in Congress” and “politicians in Washington.” Kanjorski, who is the chair of the House Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government Sponsored Enterprises, played a large part in the government bank bailout, which Barletta and many in his working-class district opposed.
Barletta is riding of tide of anti-incumbent fervor and has styled himself as the change candidate, but he gained fame as a champion against illegal immigration, an issue that came up briefly at the debate. The day after the debate, a Federal court heard an appeal on behalf of Barletta’s Illegal Immigration Relief Act, a Hazleton ordinance barring illegal immigrants from doing business in town. Local papers speculate that this renewed attention could remind some voters why they like Barletta—according to a poll in September, 17 percent of the district said immigration was their top issue. It generally polls in the single digits.
Kanjorski, on the other hand, touted his own credentials against illegal immigrants, dismissing Barletta’s immigration ordinance as a stunt. In a few days, we’ll see if that stunt paid off.
(AP Photo)
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