Posted on 02/07/2008 5:32:18 PM PST by LdSentinal
Mayor Lou Barletta, whose local crackdown on illegal immigration made him a national hero among those seeking tighter borders, said Thursday he will try to parlay that celebrity into a seat in Congress.
Barletta announced that he will seek the Republican nomination to challenge 12-term Democratic Rep. Paul Kanjorski. He lost to Kanjorski by more than 13 percentage points in 2002, but the mayor's illegal-immigration stance has raised his profile significantly since then.
"I've done as much as I can fighting illegal immigration as the mayor of a city," he told The Associated Press. "I need to take this fight to Washington, because that's where the problem needs to be fixed."
Barletta has been a staple of talk radio and cable TV news for nearly two years, since he began a campaign to get illegal immigrants out of Hazleton, a city of about 30,000. He was courted heavily by Republicans hoping to pick up a seat in Kanjorski's blue-collar, heavily Democratic district in northeastern Pennsylvania.
"I will stand up for all of the victims of crime committed by illegal aliens. I will speak out for the American workers who can't find a decent job because of a depressed wage scale," Barletta said Thursday at a news conference packed with supporters.
Kanjorski said in a statement that he looked forward to a "full and vigorous debate" on issues like the economy, health care and the war In Iraq. He did not mention Barletta by name.
But other Democrats pounced.
"We are confident the people of the 11th Congressional District will recognize the difference between a real leader and a political opportunist," Pennsylvania Democratic Chairman T.J. Rooney said.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee accused Barletta of favoring the privatization of Social Security and "gambling with our seniors' retirement savings," a line of attack Democrats hope will resonate in a district with a large elderly population.
Kanjorski has yet to announce a re-election campaign but has tried to stake his own claim on Barletta's signature issue. He sent a mailer to constituents in October describing himself as "tough on illegal immigration," and recently told an audience in the Pocono Mountains that "closing the border is practical."
At Barletta's urging, the Hazleton City Council in 2006 approved the Illegal Immigration Relief Act, which sought to deny business permits to companies that employ illegal immigrants, fine landlords who rent to them and require tenants to register and pay for a rental permit.
With Congress deadlocked over how address illegal immigration, many municipalities across the country have passed similar laws.
Critics say Hazleton-style measures discriminate against Hispanics and assume powers that belong to the federal government, but reaction from the courts has been mixed. A federal judge in July struck down Hazleton's ordinance as unconstitutional, but another judge last week upheld a similar measure in Valley Park, Mo.
Barletta blames illegal immigrants for violent crime, graffiti, and overburdened schools and hospitals in his city. He has said he could no longer wait for the federal government to do something about the problem.
He told AP he wants to secure the nation's borders, airports and seaports; punish "sanctuary cities" that offer a haven to illegal immigrants; target criminals who supply fraudulent documents; and crack down on businesses that hire illegal immigrants.
Barletta starts out his campaign more than $153,000 in debt, but he said he has developed a national donor base and can raise money quickly.
Kanjorski had about $1.5 million in his campaign account as of Dec. 31.
Check out his opponent: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=kanjorski
And President one day, he can run with Joe Arpaio!
“We are confident the people of the 11th Congressional District will recognize the difference between a real leader and a political opportunist,” Pennsylvania Democratic Chairman T.J. Rooney said.
They’re reelected the backbencher Democrat for a quarter century, and NOW he expects them to recognize him as a ‘real leader?’
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.