Lou Barletta announces run for Pennsylvania governor

May 18—Former Hazleton mayor and congressman Lou Barletta is running for governor of Pennsylvania.

Barletta entered the 2022 governor's race Monday morning, pledging to restore "sanity and common sense" to the office as he looks to become the first Hazleton native elected to the post.

"Pennsylvania is going in the wrong direction and I couldn't sit back and watch it," Barletta said. "I felt I had to run."

This marks the first time that Barletta is running for statewide office since he was the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in 2018 and lost to Democratic incumbent Bob Casey.

Barletta wasted no time Monday expressing his disapproval for Gov. Tom Wolf's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, saying Wolf's policies hurt local businesses and were devastating to nursing home residents.

"We watched in the past year our small businesses in Pennsylvania getting crushed by draconian lock downs where the governor picked winners and losers, which hurt a lot of people," Barletta said. "Then we watched COVID-positive patients get sent into nursing homes that resulted in 50% of deaths in Pennsylvania. School kids had a year of education stolen from them, the disrespect for law enforcement, an all-out assault on our coal and natural gas — it ended up there are just too many reasons to ignore it and not run."

Wolf is term-limited and cannot seek reelection.

Although he is well-known for his stance on illegal immigration and support for former President Donald Trump, Barletta said voters who want to know what he stands for need look no further than his tenure as mayor.

As mayor, the city took on projects to build houses in place of rundown factory buildings in the Pine Street neighborhood, reclaimed abandoned mine land and brought more business to the downtown, he said.

The occupancy rate in street-level businesses in the downtown increased from 30% to 80% and the 11-story Markle building at Broad and Wyoming streets was renovated, he said.

For his efforts, former President George W. Bush appointed Barletta to represent the country on the United Nations Advisory Committee of Local Authorities. In that role, he served on an advisory board for local governments.

Barletta gained national attention for his hardline stance on illegal immigration.

In 2006, city council approved ordinances that sought to punish landlords who knowingly rented to — and businesses that knowingly employed — illegal immigrants.

Two years later, he was named mayor of the year by the Pennsylvania State Mayors Association, a recognition he said was awarded in part for eliminating deficits he inherited when he first took office.

The immigration ordinances were never enforced, but sparked a lengthy court battle that ended in 2015 when the city settled for $1.32 million for plaintiffs who challenged them.

"I'm someone who wasn't afraid to be the mayor of a small town and not be afraid to stand up for what is right," Barletta said. "I think that is what defines me more than anything."

In his third bid for Congress, Barletta defeated Democratic Rep. Paul Kanjorski in 2010.

While serving in Congress, Barletta said he became a "national voice" on issues regarding border security and halting illegal immigration and sanctuary cities.

If elected governor, Barletta said that he wants to work to "get power back to the people."

"Our governor should be a servant, not a dictator," he said. "I'm watching government take more power from the people and give it to themselves. No politician or elected official should have that kind of power."

Barletta and his wife, Mary Grace, were business owners before he got into politics. The Barlettas created Interstate Road Marking, a pavement marking firm, in the mid-1980s, which began with a $29.95 investment and grew to become the sixth-largest business of its kind in the country when he sold it in 2000.

Barletta believes his small business and political experience have him "well qualified to take office on day one."

He believes his bid for U.S. Senate in 2018 puts him a step ahead of most other candidates in terms of name identification.

A poll conducted earlier this year by Susquehanna Polling & Research has Barletta leading a field of Republicans who potentially could seek party nomination for governor in 2022. The poll focused on candidates who, according to media reports, are considering a run and listed former Lt. Gov. Jim Cawley, state Sen. Doug Mastriano, former U.S. Attorney William McSwain and Congressman Dan Meuser.

The poll showed Barletta leading head to head and in total name identification and with leads in three "critical" markets of Pennsylvania that combine for more than 50% of the GOP vote in a Republican primary on a statewide basis.

Contact the writer: sgalski@standardspeaker.com; 570-501-3586