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Kanjorski prevails, will face Barletta again

Congressman Paul Kanjorski (D-11) is heading for a re-re-match against Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta.

The longtime incumbent beat Lackawanna Commissioner Corey O’Brien in the Democratic primary Tuesday, winning about 49 percent of the vote, according to preliminary returns. O’Brien had run an energetic albeit underfunded race, and may have prevailed under different circumstances. But a third candidate in the primary, Brian Kelly, won more than 11,000 votes, numbers that would have meant the difference to O’Brien.

Kanjorski, often considered one of the more vulnerable Democrats in Congress if for no other reason than his two-decades-plus incumbency, will now face Barletta for the third time in eight years.

“I thank the Democratic voters in the 11th District for their support today in our solid victory over two hard fighting challengers,” Kanjorski said in a statement. “Many people in northeastern Pennsylvania are still fighting through tough times and they deserve to have a representative who is fighting for them.

“Make no mistake,” he added, “11th District voters will face a real choice this November. If I am fortunate enough to be reelected I will continue to put the needs of the people of northeast Pennsylvania first, ahead of corporate special interests. I will continue to fight for lower taxes for the middle class and tougher regulations on Wall Street.”

O’Brien had run a campaign heavy on field work, and had been called the most competitive House primary challenger in the country. But in the end, Kanjorski’s name recognition and large late-campaign TV blitz proved to be too much. His campaign did not return messages seeking comment late Tuesday night.

Kanjorski beat Barletta in 2002, and barely edged by him in 2008, when a wave of Democratic support helped push him over the finish line. Analysts are expecting another close race. In a statement, Barletta noted that Kanjorski, according to unofficial return numbers, had failed to crack the 50-percent mark.

“These were not good numbers for Paul Kanjorski,” he said. “The unofficial returns show that a majority of voters in Mr. Kanjorski’s own party have rejected him. If you add in my vote totals, it’s an overwhelming rejection of Mr. Kanjorski. This is a great indicator for the general election.”

The race is currently ranked No. 4 on the pa2010.com Congressional Power Rankings.

May 19, 2010 at 4:25 am

--Dan McQuade

Tags: Brian Kelly, Corey O'Brien, Lou Barletta, PA-11, Paul Kanjorski

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