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HARRISBURG – Republican Party of Pennsylvania Chairman Rob Gleason was not surprised to learn that Congressman Paul Kanjorski could only find four donors for his re-election efforts living within the 11th Congressional District.
“It’s certainly a telling sign that the people that know Congressman Paul Kanjorski best are not willing to donate to his re-election efforts,” Gleason said. “Over the past few years, Congressman Kanjorski’s constituents have been forced to watch him waste their hard-earned taxpayer dollars, even referring to their hard-earned income as ‘free money.’
“The Congressman’s own campaign cited that the 11th Congressional District has a ‘lower income threshold than a lot of other areas,’ using that as an excuse for not raising more funds from inside his own district.
“Congressman Kanjorski may take donations from Washington special interests, but at the end of the day he’s going to be held accountable for his actions by his constituents living in the 11thCongressional District this November.” The Hill quoted Kanjorski spokesman Ed Mitchell making the following excuse for the poor fundraising numbers in the district: “It puts a burden on our population, which has a lower income threshold than a lot of other areas,” Mitchell said. (“Kanjorski had four in-district donors in fourth quarter,” The Hill, 2/5/10,http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/79947-kanjorski-had-four-in-district-donors-in-fourth-quarter ) According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Congressman Kanjorski has received the most funding from mortgage bankers and brokers of any candidate in the 2010 election cycle.(http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/industries.php?cycle=2010&cid=N00001509&type=I) Below is an exchange between Congressman Kanjorski and CBS News investigative correspondent Sharyl Attkisson from a program that aired on August 1st, 2008: “You call these federal and state grants ‘free money.’ The quote is, ‘I don’t know anyone who would turn down a free building. It would be funded with, quote, free money,’” Attkisson said. “‘From federal and state grants.’” “For the community, it is free money,” Kanjorski said. “But it’s not really free. Taxpayers are paying for it,” Attkisson pointed out.
# # # Contact: Michael Barley |
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