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…

May 19, 2010 at 4:25 am | Comments (0)

Kanjorski staffer may have violated ethics rules

Washington staffers for Congressman Paul Kanjorski (D-11) provided a list of legislative interns to the longtime incumbent’s campaign, a disclosure that comes on the eve of his primary battle against Corey O’Brien and may amount to a violation of House ethics rules.

Politico reports on an e-mail that was sent from Kanjorski’s legislative director to a campaign staffer, a message that included a document with contact information for interns who worked…

May 17, 2010 at 2:09 pm | Comments (1)

O’Brien hopes energetic field campaign can overcome Kanjorski

SCRANTON—Corey O’Brien is moving, and he’s moving fast. It’s a sunny Tuesday afternoon in May, and a brief rain shower has just let up. O’Brien is racing—literally, running—down the streets of a Scranton neighborhood in full work garb, tossing a football back-and-forth with campaign aides who struggle to keep up while an RV plastered with his face trails behind him playing contemporary Rock and Roll.

“You should have worn your sneakers today,” one aide remarks…

May 14, 2010 at 11:13 am | Comments (0)

LEFTOVERS: Editorial page endorsements for everyone

With primary day just over a week away, the editorial page endorsements are coming in droves.

The Tribune-Review made its picks for the Senate race, backing Republican Pat Toomey and Democrat Joe Sestak. “Mr. Sestak, a retired Navy admiral, could not be a better messenger for the Democrats’ agenda,” the newspaper wrote. “He’s incredibly intelligent, thoughtful and articulate. And his expertise on matters military is impressive.” The editorial page also said that “Toomey’s conservative credentials…

May 9, 2010 at 10:14 pm | Comments (11)

Kanjorski spent big in April

Facing a primary challenge from an insurgent Democrat with an energetic field presence, Congressman Paul Kanjorski (D-11) started dipping into his war chest last month, spending tens of thousands on TV and other campaign efforts.

Kanjorski raised about $44,000 during the month, and spent more than $267,00o, leaving him with still close to a million bucks in the bank three weeks before the primary, according to campaign finance data. Political watchers…

May 7, 2010 at 1:37 pm | Comments (0)

EXCLUSIVE: Kanjorski going on the air Tuesday

Congressman Paul Kanjorski (D-11) will take his renomination pitch to the airwaves Tuesday, exactly two weeks before primary voters head to the polls.

Kanjorski’s first ad is a 30-second spot that highlights his support for extending unemployment benefits. In the ad, an out-of-work Scranton resident says that “Congressman Kanjorski helped me and thousands of others.”

A person familiar with the ad buy told pa2010.com that the ad is set to saturate broadcast TV in the…

May 3, 2010 at 8:00 am | Comments (1)

Kanjorski has 25 times more campaign cash than primary foe

Lackawanna County Commissioner Corey O’Brien has been called the most competitive primary challenger in the country, but the obstacles of going up against a well-funded incumbent were on stark display Thursday in the form of newly-filed campaign finance data.

O’Brien, a Democrat, raised about $114,000 during the first quarter of 2010, and has raised about $320,000 to date. But he has also spent heavily, and finished the period with just under…

April 15, 2010 at 3:00 pm | Comments (1)

AFL-CIO backs Pike, others in contested House primaries

The statewide AFL-CIO has made its picks for Congress.

The umbrella labor organization endorsed five candidates in Democratic primaries when its Executive Council met Tuesday. Perhaps most notable was the AFL-CIO’s backing for 6th District hopeful Doug Pike, who is locked in the party’s most competitive House nominating contest against Manan Trivedi. Pike already enjoyed deeper labor support than Trivedi, and despite Trivedi’s recent surge of local party support, the AFL-CIO endorsement effectively puts the…

March 30, 2010 at 2:07 pm | Comments (3)

O’Brien hits Kanjorski over reported appropriations vote

When Pennsylvania’s delegation of congressional Democrats met last week to vote on who would replace the late John Murtha on the powerful Appropriations Committee, they did so by secret ballot. But lawmakers often know which votes they do—or don’t—have lined up, and multiple news reports have indicated that Congressman Paul Kankjorski (D-11) cast the deciding vote for Congressman Patrick Murphy (D-8).

That means he was voting against Congressman Chris Carney (D-10), with whom Kanjorski shares…

March 28, 2010 at 1:36 pm | Comments (14)

Paige drops out of 11th District primary

Republican Chris Paige has withdrawn from the primary in the 11th Congressional District, making Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta the party’s de facto nominee for the third time in the last decade.

Paige, whose candidacy was notable for his self-managed messaging style, announced his decision in a blog post over the weekend. His nominating petitions were being challenged in an effort to keep him off the ballot. And…

March 23, 2010 at 10:00 am | Comments (6)