August 29, 2017
U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, R-Pa., has officially put his name in the race to unseat Bob Casey in the U.S. Senate next year.
Barletta, who has represented Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Hazleton and parts of the Poconos in Pennsylvania's 11th District since 2011, announced his senatorial campaign run early Tuesday morning.
"After talking to Mary Grace and our family, many people across Pennsylvania and saying a few prayers, I've decided to run for the United States Senate," he said in an excerpt of his campaign video posted to Twitter.
I’m in! #Lou4Senate. See the full video here - https://t.co/lznF855Erm pic.twitter.com/02q4x3pI1p
— Lou Barletta (@loubarletta) August 29, 2017
Barletta, 61, was an early Donald Trump supporter and first endorsed the president last March. Barletta is also one of Trump's "staunchest congressional allies," according to The Morning Call.
Barletta said that Pennsylvania "deserves better" than Casey whom he calls an "obstructionist senator." Casey has held the seat for two terms.
"Together, we can send a loud and clear message that we are ready for real representation in Washington," he said. "They deserve a leader who actually listens to them and fights for them in Washington. But, I want to offer Pennsylvania more than being a better option than Bob Casey. I want to be the type of senator that you can be proud of."
The Pennsylvania Democratic Party called Barletta "out of step with Pennsylvania values" in a response on Twitter on Tuesday.
"Pennsylvania's families and seniors need a Senator they can count on to fight for them," the party said. "An ethically challenged congressman like Lou Barletta can only be counted on to fight for himself. The commonwealth deserves better than Congressman Lou Barletta."
Watch the full campaign video here.
