After late entrance, Barletta has $52K; still in debt

Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta only had about a month to raise money for his third congressional run before the door closed on 2009. In that time, racked up about $60,000 in donations, finishing the year with about $52,000 in cash on hand, according to campaign finance data.

As he looks for another showdown with Congressman Paul Kanjorski (D-11), the first quarter of 2010 will be a more accurate gauge of his fundraising prowess. His Republican primary opponent, hedge fund executive Chris Paige, has signaled he’ll spend at least $300,000 on the nominating contest.

Campaigns for Barletta’s two previous unsuccessful races against Kanjorski, in 2002 and 2008, still carry a combined quarter-million dollars of debt.