Paul Kanjorski

It's official: Every independent poll since the summer has shown longtime U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D-Nanticoke) as the rare Democrat on the path to defeat.

The latest poll comes from SurveyUSA on behalf of Roll Call (subscription only), and finds Kanjorski trailing Republican Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta by 6 points, 51 percent to 45 percent.

Echoing other political forecasts, Roll Call says Kanjorski "could be the most vulnerable House Democrat in the country."

DURYEA -- Despite winning 75 percent of the vote in 2006, U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D-Nanticoke) in engaged in the political fight of his life two years later against Republican challenger Lou Barletta.

But in a brief interview with PolitickerPA.com, the 24-year incumbent said his race's competitiveness is not surprising.

"It's going well," he said. "It's proceded as we've expected."

Kanjorski ran against Barletta in 2002, when he defeated the Hazleton mayor by 13-percentage points. But since then, he said, Barletta's tough stance against immigration as mayor has dramatically risen his profile.

Kanjorski spoke to PolitickerPA.com while attending a Barack Obama event with U.S. Sen. Bob Casey Jr. (D-Scranton). The Democratic presidential nominee, he said, will win the 11th Congressional District, Pennsylvania, and the country on Election Day.

There's been no shortage of speculation that U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski's vote to support the government bailout of the financial system could come back to hurt him in his competitive reelection race. The Nanticoke Democrat's campaign spokesman told PolitickerPA.com that he "stood up for principle" at the time of the vote.

But whether to guard against political fallout or not, make no mistake that Kanjorski is stepping up his populist rhetoric as the election nears.

His legislative office in Washington has issued plenty of statements criticizing corporate greed in recent weeks, culminating today in its announcement that he wrote to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernake complaining about AIG's widely reported post-bailout expenditures.

"AIG has behaved like a pig at the taxpayer's trough, and it must stop," Kanjorski wrote.

Kanjorski is running against Republican Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta in the 11th Congressional District, considered Pennsylvania's most competitive House race.

Only minutes before he was scheduled to appear at a forum with Republican Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski's (D-Nanticoke) campaign said the incumbent wouldn't be showing up.

The Barletta campaign, which is giving Pennslyvania's most vulnerable incumbent the fight of his political career, immediately seized on this absence as evidence that he was "afraid" to debate.

A campaign spokesman said Kanjorski had a scheduling conflict, but there was also speculation that the campaign was upset by a release the Barletta campaign had sent out earlier in the day criticizing Kanjorski for the lack of scheduled debates, according to The Pocono Record.

Barletta and Kanjorski are fighting for the 11th Congressional District seat that Kanjorski has held for more than two decades. 

U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D-Nanticoke) is trailing by only 5 points in his race against Republican Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta, according to a new poll.

With many voters still undecided in the 11th Congressional District, Pennsylvania's most competitive House race, Kanjorski garners 35 percent of the vote, compared to 40 percent for Barletta, according the Franklin & Marshall College poll. The finding comes almost a month after the same survey showed Barletta leading by 9 points, and as the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has poured significant money into defending Kanjorski, who is widely considered the most vulnerable Democrat in Congress.

While saying other polling had showed an even tighter race, the Kanjorski campaign welcomed the latest news.

"This shows people are rejecting Lou Barletta's support for the failed economic policies of George Bush that have devastated the retirement savings of working families, cost us hundreds of thousands of jobs and plunged our economy to the worst level since the Great Depression," Kanjorski spokesman Ed Mitchell said in a statement.

The poll still contains some ominous signs for Kanjorski, including continuing anemic support among Democrats, with only half of the party faithful planning to cast their vote for him. But it's clear that, like in other races, the weakened economy hurt the GOP candidate. Only 12 percent of voters cite immigration as the most important issue, down from 17 percent last month. The percentage of voters citing the economy as the most important issue has jumped 8 percent.

The survey of 586 registered voters has a margin of error of 4 percent, meaning the race is now almost in a statistical dead heat.

Republican are typically seen as the far friendlier political party to gun owners. But the National Rifle Association broke the mold Tuesday and gave a boost to one of the state's most vulnerable Democrats.

The NRA endorsed U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski  (D-Nanticoke) in his tough reelection fight against Republican Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta, calling Kanjorski a "friend of freedom."

"He is a steadfast supporter of gun rights and of efforts to preserve America's hunting heritage," said Chris Cox, the group's chief lobbyist.

Kanjorski is facing Barletta in the 11th Congressional District.

In a campaign statement, the incumbent added:

"Pennsylvania gun owners have been wonderful friends of mine for many, many years. I have fought and will continue to fight vigorously to protect their constitutional rights. The NRA has been a wonderful ally in that fight and I am proud of the long and productive relationship I've had with the organization."

Campaigning for Barack Obama in Scranton Sunday, former President Bill Clinton made time for a couple words on behalf of U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D-Nanticoke).

"Folks, Paul Kanjorski's got a tough race," Clinton said, according to a transcript of his remarks. "He's got a tough race because some people in his district believe that illegal immigration is a bigger cause of their economic problems than President Bush's economic policies. I got news for them and I've got news for you - you need to help him get re-elected."

Kanjorski, considered to be one of the most vulnerable Democrats in Congress, is being challenged by Republican Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta in the 11th Congressional District.

For the second time in a month, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has released a poll showing U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D-Nanticoke) leading Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta in the state's most competitive House race.

In the poll, released Thursday, Kanjorski is leading Barletta by 8 points in the 11th Congressional District, 47 percent to 39 percent.

But once again, the DCCC released almost no details about the poll, making any assessment of its veracity difficult. 

In both cases, the DCCC polls were released after surveys showed Kanjorski trailing Barletta. In September, a Franklin & Marshall College poll had Kanjorski trailing Barletta by nine points, prompting release of a DCCC poll claiming a Kanjorski lead of the same margin.

This week, the DCCC poll came on the heels of an internal Barletta poll showing Kanjorski trailing by 8 points.

Voting no was the safe move.

Members of Congress in tough re-election battles apparently decided that it was safer to vote against the $700 billion Wall Street bailout plan than to vote for it.

There are 41 incumbent House members on Politicker.com's The Pindell Report of the nation's most competitive House races. Of that group 31 voted against the bailout, possibly proof that that a yes vote might be politically toxic just a little over a month from Election Day. Of the four House members running for the Senate only Maine's Tom Allen voted for in favor.

Though he won't be suspending his reelection campaign, U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D-Nanticoke) says he'll stay in Washington as long as it takes to address the financial crisis.

"I have already stated that Congress must stay in Washington until we address this current economic crisis and draft legislation," Kanjorski told PolitickerPA.com in a statement. "I also chose to stay in Washington last weekend, instead of going back to Northeastern Pennsylvania because this crisis must be addressed immediately."

Kanjorski is facing a strong challenge from Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta in the 11th Congressional District.