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(s)Elections See other (s)Elections Articles Title: Third time's the charm: Barletta defeats Kanjorski By David Pierce November 03, 2010 Riding a wave of anti-incumbent fervor and voter anger, Republican Lou Barletta unseated incumbent Democratic U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski in their third face-off Tuesday night. Kanjorski conceded defeat at 10:17 p.m. "We knew it would end, we just didn't know when," Kanjorski said in his concession speech. At Barletta headquarters, the crowd erupted in cheers, chaning "Lou! Lou!" The strains of "Louie, Louie" by the Kingsmen blared in the background. Barletta told his supporters, "Tonight proves that you heard me. Now Washington will hear us." He added, "This isn't my campaign. This is our campaign." Barletta said, "You put our district first, you put America first and you put our children and grandchildren first." That the two campaigns had developed a deep mutual contempt through three hard-fought Congressional campaigns was hard to deny. That enmity was evident in this year's race, which focused largely on the negative. Kanjorski, a 13-term incumbent, narrowly won the 2008 race due to the coattails of Barack Obama's Pennsylvania victory in the presidential election but Tuesday he had no such help. "From an election standpoint, I don't think the Democrats will have Obama to pull them through at the end of the day," said Hazleton attorney Conrad Falvello, a longtime friend of Barletta and his 2008 campaign manager. Barletta criticized Kanjorski's support for the 2008 bailout of failing financial corporations and charging he is beholden to Wall Street special interests. He charged Kanjorski is too connected to Washington and out of touch with constituents. Barletta vowed to seek an appointment to the Transportation Committee, if elected, so he can seek money to upgrade Interstate 80 and other neglected local roads. Kanjorski says Barletta, the mayor of Hazleton, has presided over the highest unemployment rate of any Pennsylvania city and has mismanaged the city's pension fund and water department. Barletta first rose to national prominence by seeking removal from Hazelton of illegal immigrants he said were instrumental in the city's rising violent crime rate, while straining the financial resources of the school district and local hospital. Barletta pushed through local ordinances requiring landlords to verify the legal status of tenants and requiring employers to check on the legality of employees. So far, the courts have ruled against the city and the matters are under appeal. [Kanjorski] holds a key post on the House Financial Services Committee, where he chairs a subcommittee. He authored several pieces of the financial regulatory reform bill this year. Locally, Kanjorski pointed approval of his bill designated Cherry Valley as a national wildlife refuge. Those efforts began in 2006 after Kanjorski was approached by a group of local elected officials, land preservation groups and Cherry Valley residents. The designation is aimed at protecting rare plant and animal species for future generations and enables the government to negotiate land purchases from willing landowners. Kanjorski said, "This is a great moment. I have the opportunity to say hello and to say goodbye."
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