DCCC Up With First Ad In Kanjorski's District

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is up with its first television ad of the general election cycle on behalf of Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski (D-Pa.), who’s facing a tough re-election campaign against Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta.

The DCCC’s ad, which began airing Tuesday, paints Barletta as an ally of President Bush and tries to associate the Republican candidate with some of the White House’s most unpopular policy initiatives.

“Barletta supported George Bush’s failed economic policies,” the ad says. “Barletta even helped lead Bush’s campaign in Pennsylvania. And both have supported privatizing Social Security, putting our retirement at risk.”

The narrator closes: “Lou Barletta – he may be George Bush’s friend, but he’s no friend of the middle class.”

The DCCC’s ad is scheduled to air for two weeks.

“We have been aggressive all cycle, acting early and often. This is no different," said DCCC spokesman Doug Thornell. "Lou Barletta is trying to mislead voters, and we will not allow him to undergo an extreme makeover about his strong support of President Bush’s failed economic policies, tax cuts for the rich and privatizing Social Security.”

The DCCC’s decision to buy time in this district indicates that it’s taking Barletta’s challenge very seriously. In mid-June, Barletta announced the results an internal poll conducted in March that showed him leading Kanjorski by five points, 47 percent to 42 percent. That number was within the poll’s margin of error, but for a GOP challenger to lead was a striking development in a district that Kanjorski has represented for nearly a quarter century.

Barletta challenged Kanjorski unsuccessfully in 2002 and seems to be waging a more formidable campaign this time around. He has since built a national political following over his strident opposition to illegal immigration and the actions he took as mayor to curb it.
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