Political focus to fall on region

Two of the hottest and most watched congressional races in the nation could be centered in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

Incumbent freshman Democrat Chris Carney will likely face a serious challenge for the 10th Congressional District seat in November – but not until a hot primary race is settled for the Republican nomination.

If Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta, a Republican, decides to take on longtime incumbent Democrat Paul Kanjorski in the 11th District, the region could be the focus of two attention-grabbing contests.

Combine that with the election of six state representatives from the area and the U.S. presidential election, and 2008 promises to be a busy political year in Luzerne County.

Local media strategist Ed Mitchell, who has been retained by Kanjorski, said the 10th District will be a battle, but expects the same if Barletta decides to run.

In both cases, Mitchell predicts millions of dollars will be spent on both sides and the races will attract national attention since either seat could help decide the majority for the U.S. House of Representatives.

In the 10th District, Carney, of Dimock Township, must hold on to the traditionally Republican seat. Joseph McDade held the office for 36 years, and Don Sherwood served for eight years.

Four Republicans are already waging a war for their party’s nomination; one of them, Chris Hackett, is already airing radio ads.

Hackett, owner of OneSource Staffing Solutions, is running against Dan Meuser, president and co-owner of Pride Mobility Products in Exeter; Paul R. Swiderski, a self-employed accountant and small business consultant from Harding; and Donald J. Ely, a retired high school teacher from Sunbury.

Barletta hasn’t decided

Barletta, who ran unsuccessfully against Kanjorski in 2002, hasn’t decided if he will enter the fray.

But, he’s a different candidate this time. He rose to national fame with his controversial illegal immigration stance and has gained more support in Hazleton where voters re-elected him in November with 90 percent of the vote.

“There are pros and cons, but I’m in the middle of the illegal immigration battle in Hazleton,” he said. “I think I’ve done as much as I can on the issue as mayor. This battle really needs to be fought in Washington.”

“I have to decide what is better for Hazleton, Northeastern Pennsylvania and my family,” Barletta said. “I have to decide if I should run for Congress now, or sit out and look toward another office at another time.”

If he challenges Kanjorski, Barletta is confident he can raise enough money to mount a formidable challenge, something he couldn’t do when he lost to Kanjorski six years ago.

Mitchell, who is running Kanjorski’s re-election campaign, believes a Kanjorski-Barletta rematch would be a different battle with the same outcome.

“But there will also be a hot race in the 11th if Mayor Barletta gets in,” Mitchell said. “I think Kanjorski will win because he has delivered a lot of federal dollars to the district. He has been there a long time and he also has an immigration policy. I think the people will stick with a proven congressman.”

Carney outcome uncertain

Mitchell agrees with The Washington Post political blog that tabs the 10th District race as one of the top 10 in the country as far as political significance. He is sure the contest will go down to the wire.

He acknowledged Carney’s victory was largely due to Sherwood’s personal problems.

“The Republicans believe that (Carney’s election) was an anomaly and feel they should be able to take the seat back,” Mitchell said. “Of course, the Democrats feel Carney should be able to hold it because of the job Carney has done.”

Even with a large Republican registration edge, Mitchell feels Carney can survive.

“The national mood favors Democrats,” Mitchell said. “And Carney has done a good job as congressman for his district. He has delivered the bacon to the district; he has represented it well. Still, it will be a very close race.”

Mitchell expects a lot of money will be spent. The National Republican Campaign Committee doesn’t have a lot of money to spend on congressional campaigns, he said, so the party sought candidates who have a lot of money. Hackett and Meuser have a lot of personal money to spend, he said.

Six seeking re-election

On the state level, all six representatives are seeking re-election including veteran Democratic lawmakers Phyllis Mundy, of Kingston; Todd Eachus, Butler Township; and John Yudichak, Nanticoke.

Freshmen who are expected to run again are Eddie Day Pashinski, D-Wilkes-Barre; Mike Carroll, D-Avoca; and Karen Boback, R-Harveys Lake.

So far, Boback is the only one who might face opposition in the primary. James May of Falls has announced he will run against Boback in the GOP contest.

Mark Bufalino, chairman of the Luzerne County Democratic Party, said he hasn’t heard of any candidates planning to challenge the incumbents.

“We won’t even be discussing those races until we meet in March,” he said.

Bufalino said the county Democrats are still basking in their November sweep of the county row offices and the 2006 victories by Gov. Ed Rendell and U.S. Sen. Bob Casey.