Barletta leading Kanjorski by 9 points in poll

By Dan Hirschhorn, PolitickerPA.com Reporter

Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta has opened up a significant lead in his bid to unseat U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski, according to a new poll.

The poll, released this morning, showed Barletta, a Republican, leading Kanjorski, the longtime Democratic incumbent, by nine points among registered voters in the 11th Congressional District. In the survey of 547 registered voters, conducted by Franklin & Marshall College, 44 percent supported Barletta, while 35 percent backed Kanjorski.

Kanjorski is already considered one of the most vulnerable Congressional Democrats in the country, and is certainly in the most perilous situation of any Pennsylvania incumbent. The race is ranked the fifth-most competitive in the country by PolitickerPA.com's Pindell Report.

The poll, which had a margin of error of 4.2 percent, is sure to increase Democratic concerns about Kanjorski, and is likely to intensify effots by both national parties to influence the race.

In the poll, 21 percent of voters were undecided. Perhaps most concerning for Kanjorski was that only 51 percent of Democrats indicated they would vote for him. Fewer than two in five voters told pollsters Kanjorski deserves reelection.

DAN HIRSCHHORN is a PolitickerPA.com Reporter and can be reached via email at danh@politickerpa.com.

Related topics: Paul Kanjorski, Lou Barletta, PA-11

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Comments

Visibility is the key

posted by Tommy

Kanjorski hasn't been visible enough to date in this campaign. The challenger has been out there doing what he has to in order to garner media attention and influence voters. Kudos to him as he's doing what you have to do to get elected.

I'm not sure what to make of this lack of visibility. I know being in Washington keeps you away as opposed to being a local mayor who can make his own schedule. However, that should be more than compensated for by the advantage of being a 12 term incumbent.

I also think the Obama candidacy has hurt Paul. He was very much in the Clinton corner and the Obama campaign is not very popular in Northeastern Pennsylvania. There are no coattails to ride there, so he is on his own. Also, the Obama campaign appears to have a lot of contempt for those who haven't been on the bandwagon from the beginning.

09/18/08 1:25 am

Kanjorski/Barletta

posted by Lance Sjogren

It would be a tremendous win for middle class and working class Americans if Barletta defeated Kanjorski.

The Republican Party has suffered hugely and deservedly for providing our country with rotten policies and incompetent boobs like George W. Bush.

The Democratic Party seems to be trying to emulate the Republican Party in its contempt for sound public policy and the well-being of the American people.

Right now, as we speak, the Pelosi regime is plotting how to admit half a million foreign workers to replace American workers.

Is it really advisable for a political party to base its future on how many people it can throw out of work?

We won't see the answer to that in 2008, but we will in 2010 and 2012. Hopefully McCain will lose in 2008 and the sweatshop wing of the Republican Party will die out, allowing Republicans who truly care about this country and its people to take the party back from the interlopers who have taken it over.

A Barletta victory in 2008 would be a good first step toward that progressive social change in the 2010 and 2012 elections.

09/18/08 5:24 pm

Lou is a good guy

posted by Freddy

Pennsylvania voters will be big winners when they elect Lou. Kanjorski on the other hand took lots of money from totally corrupt Fannie Mae. Corrupt Fannie and Freddie are the largest financial fraud in history and Kanjorski was on the payroll.

09/24/08 1:56 am