Vincent Nork

1950s Come Rockin' Back With A Retro Mcdonald's

By KENNETH P. VOGEL kvogel@leader.net
 Monday, December 23, 2002 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 3A 





More than $2.5 million was spent on the race between U.S. Rep. Paul
Kanjorski and Republican challenger Lou Barletta, making it the most expensive
campaign in the history of the 11th Congressional District. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Kanjorski's campaign committee spent $1.1 million on its winning effort -
the most he has spent on a campaign. Barletta's spent $502,000 - at least
$78,000 of which came out of his own pocket in the form of loans - according
to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Barletta spent roughly six times the total spent by Republican Luzerne
County Commissioner Stephen A. Urban on his three unsuccessful bids to knock
off Kanjorski in 996, 1998 and 2000. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But the candidates' spending - which is only the second-highest tally for
candidates vying for the 11th district seat - doesn't tell the whole story. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 This year's race marks the first time that outside groups poured in
so-called ``soft money'' to attempt to influence the outcome. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Soft-money spending, which will be restricted by a new law starting with
the 2004 elections, is difficult to track because the candidates don't have to
list it in their reports. Soft money from both parties bought more than
$900,000 in ``issue'' television advertisements, according to news reports.
But that does not include direct mailings, radio ads and support staff. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee aired television ads
supporting Kanjorski and dispatched workers to help run his campaign after the
National Republican Congressional Committee paid for several television and
direct mailers backing Barletta. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Whether future Kanjorski opponents can expect the same level of help
depends in large part on whether anything comes of FBI inquiries into
Kanjorski's role in steering millions of taxpayer dollars to two high-tech
companies owned by family members, said Wilkes University political science
professor Tom Baldino. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``People give money to a challenger when they see the incumbent as
vulnerable,'' Baldino said. ``If between now and the 2004 election, those
issues are resolved, chances are (Kanjorski) will not have the same kind of
competitive challenge.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Asked whether Barletta, who has not ruled out another run at Kanjorski, or
another Republican could count on national support in 2004, NRCC spokeswoman
Lee Ann McBride laughed. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``This is December of 2002. We don't know which races will be the
competitive ones in 2004,'' she said, though she added ``we are very pleased
with (Barletta's) candidacy.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The feeling is not completely mutual. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Barletta pointed out three glossy NRCC mailings boosting his candidacy
didn't arrive in peoples' mailboxes until after the election. And, he said his
campaign started to slip after an NRCC television ad focusing on the FBI
inquiries was pulled by two local television stations that agreed with
Kanjorski's argument that the ads were misleading. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Kanjorski ran his own ad saying the incident proved Barletta untrustworthy. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Barletta said his campaign could have used more money for television ads to
try to cut into the edge in name recognition that Kanjorski had because of his
18 years representing the district. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Baldino said Barletta's failed campaign could give him a head start in name
recognition for another run in the near future, but Barletta said that if he
ran again, he'd also start raising money sooner. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Barletta's campaign committee finished in debt, and Barletta said he's
planning to loan it another $60,000 to $65,000, which could bring his total
out-of-pocket expenses for the campaign to $143,000. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

11th District Race Congressional Clash Makes History Kanjorski, Barletta Spent Over $2.5 Million, Not Including Outside Soft Money