Barletta, Trump backer, wins GOP nod to take on Sen. Casey
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Four-term U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump who first got national notice as a small-city mayor for his attempted crackdown on illegal immigration, on Tuesday won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania.
Barletta had paid little attention to his Republican rival, state Rep. Jim Christiana, during the primary campaign. Instead, he focused his attacks on the candidate he hopes to unseat in the fall, two-term Democratic Sen. Bob Casey.
At his election night party in his hometown of Hazleton, Barletta appealed to the voters who helped Trump win the state in 2016’s presidential election. He said Casey has tried to “resist, reject and obstruct every step this president has taken.”
“Bob Casey has moved so far left he doesn’t really represent Pennsylvania anymore,” Barletta said.