Prized GOP Recruit To Challenge Kanjorski

Republican Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta plans to announce his candidacy against Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D-Pa.) Thursday, according to a GOP operative, giving Republicans one of their most prized recruits of this election cycle.

Republicans have been urging Barletta to run for the seat for months, believing his high-profile opposition to illegal immigration would give them an opportunity to contest a seat that has been held by Kanjorski since 1985.

With Barletta’s help, the city of Hazleton passed a law that heavily penalizes landlords who rent to illegal immigrants and punishes the businesses that hire them. It was struck down as unconstitutional by a federal judge in July.

Barletta has a near-cult status among border security advocates, and is a regular guest on “Lou Dobbs Tonight,” talking about his opposition to illegal immigration.

Barletta is the only Republican to give Kanjorski a run for his money since the latter came to Congress nearly a quarter-century ago, holding Kanjorski to 56 percent of the vote in a 2002 challenge.

But that was before Barletta made a name for himself by cracking down on illegal immigration, and it became a hot-button issue in the culturally conservative district around Scranton, Pa.

Kanjorski starts out with a sizable cash advantage, with more than $1.46 million on-hand at the end of the year. Barletta still holds a debt of $153,000 from his 2002 campaign.

The district leans Democratic at the national level, giving John F. Kerry 53 percent of the vote in the 2004 presidential race.