Louis John Barletta (born January 28, 1956) is an American businessman and politician who served as the
U.S. representative
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...
for from 2011 to 2019. A member of the
Republican Party, he served as
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...
of
Hazleton Hazleton may refer to:
Places
* Hazleton, British Columbia, Canada
* Hazleton, Gloucestershire, a village in Gloucestershire, England
** Hazleton long barrows, Neolithic burial mounds at Hazleton, Gloucestershire, England
** Hazleton Abbey, a medi ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, from 2000 to 2010.
As mayor, he came to prominence due to a high-profile immigration ordinance. During his tenure, he challenged longtime
Democratic incumbent
Paul Kanjorski
Paul Edmund Kanjorski (born April 2, 1937) is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for from 1985 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
The district included the cities of Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, and Hazleton, ...
of the 11th congressional district three times, eventually defeating him in
2010. Barletta was re-elected three times to serve in Congress.
In
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...
, Barletta was the unsuccessful Republican nominee for the
U.S. Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
, losing to
Democratic incumbent
Bob Casey Jr.
Robert Patrick Casey Jr. (born April 13, 1960) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Pennsylvania, a seat he has held since 2007. A member of the Democratic Party, Casey previously served as Penn ...
by a 13-point margin. He also ran unsuccessfully in the
2022
File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...
Republican primary for
governor of Pennsylvania, losing to
Doug Mastriano.
Early life
Barletta was born on January 28, 1956, in
Hazleton Hazleton may refer to:
Places
* Hazleton, British Columbia, Canada
* Hazleton, Gloucestershire, a village in Gloucestershire, England
** Hazleton long barrows, Neolithic burial mounds at Hazleton, Gloucestershire, England
** Hazleton Abbey, a medi ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, the son of Angeline (née DeAngelo) and Rocco Barletta, who married on September 6, 1943, and were both of
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
ancestry.
Rocco Barletta helped manage several of the family's businesses, including
Angela Park
Angela Park ( ko, 박혜인, born August 25, 1988) is a Brazilian-American professional golfer who played on the LPGA Tour. She holds dual citizenship in Brazil and the United States.
Childhood and personal life
Park was born in Foz do Iguaçu ...
, which operated in nearby
Drums until it closed in 1988, and served on the executive committee of the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
of Hazleton.
Rocco and Angeline passed away in 1994 and 1999, respectively.
At 18-months-old, Barletta was involved in a
car crash, suffering a minor bruise to his left ear and to the right side of his head. After high school, he attended
Luzerne County Community College and
Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania
Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania (Bloomsburg, BU or Bloom) is a campus of Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania and it is located in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. It is part of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE). The ...
. He graduated with a major in
elementary education
Primary education or elementary education is typically the first stage of formal education, coming after preschool/kindergarten and before secondary school. Primary education takes place in ''primary schools'', ''elementary schools'', or fir ...
and made an unsuccessful tryout for the
Cincinnati Reds baseball team, having been cut after failing to hit a
curveball.
Barletta then went to work for his family's construction and heating oil business.
In 1984, Barletta founded a pavement marking company, Interstate Road Marking Corporation, which he sold in 2000. At the time of the sale, his firm had grown to become the largest of its kind in Pennsylvania.
Mayor of Hazleton
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
Barletta was defeated for a seat on the Hazleton City Council in 1995, but won two years later.
In 1999, the incumbent
Democratic mayor, Michael Marsicano, was beleaguered by the city's growing
deficit, topping off at $855,000, and was primaried in an
upset by Jack Mundie.
Barletta would defeat Mundie in the general election, overcoming a Democratic voter registration edge in the city (estimated at 5,771 to 3,509 in 2007).
Barletta took office January 3, 2000.
Barletta was reelected in 2003, defeating Democrat Jack Craig and
Socialist
Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the ...
Tim Mailhot, who campaigned on
opposition
Opposition may refer to:
Arts and media
* ''Opposition'' (Altars EP), 2011 EP by Christian metalcore band Altars
* The Opposition (band), a London post-punk band
* '' The Opposition with Jordan Klepper'', a late-night television series on Com ...
to the
Iraq War
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق ( Kurdish)
, partof = the Iraq conflict and the War on terror
, image ...
.
In 2007, Barletta received 1,007 votes as a
write-in candidate
A write-in candidate is a candidate whose name does not appear on the ballot but seeks election by asking voters to cast a vote for the candidate by physically writing in the person's name on the ballot. Depending on electoral law it may be poss ...
in the Democratic mayoral primary, enough to defeat former Mayor Marsicano, and be listed under both the Republican and Democratic parties in the general election.
During Barletta's first term, Hazleton received the Governor's Award for Fiscal Accountability and Best Management Practices. In 2004, Barletta was appointed to the
United Nations Advisory Committee of Local Authorities
United Nations Advisory Committee of Local Authorities (UNACLA) is a committee of local authorities that serves as an advisory
body to United Nations System for the purpose of strengthening the dialogue with local authorities from all over the
wor ...
by President
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
.
Crime statistics in Hazleton showed a drop in crime every year between the years 2006 and 2011.
Immigration ordinance
During Barletta's tenure, the Hispanic population of Hazleton climbed from 5 percent in 2000 to 30 percent in 2006. That year, Barletta made headlines for his efforts opposing illegal immigration in Hazleton, vowing to make the city "one of the toughest places in the United States" for illegal immigrants.
Barletta introduced and the city council approved the Illegal Immigration Relief Act. The ordinance allowed the city to deny a business permit to employers who hired illegal immigrants and gave the city authority to fine landlords up to $1,000 for leasing to illegal immigrants.
The act also made
English the official language of Hazleton, prohibiting city employees from translating documents into any language without official authorization.
The widespread publicity saw support for Barletta emerge from Republican politicians like former
mayor of New York City,
Rudy Giuliani, and conservative figures such as
Tucker Carlson
Tucker Swanson McNear Carlson (born May 16, 1969) is an American television host, conservative political commentator and writer who has hosted the nightly political talk show '' Tucker Carlson Tonight'' on Fox News since 2016.
Carlson began ...
and
Neil Cavuto
Neil Patrick Cavuto (born September 22, 1958) is an American television news anchor, executive, commentator, and business journalist for Fox News. He hosts three television programs: '' Your World with Neil Cavuto'' and ''Cavuto Live,'' both on F ...
. In response to the law, the
American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1920 "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States". T ...
(ACLU) and the
Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund
LatinoJustice PRLDEF, long known by its former name the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, is a New York-based national civil rights organization with the goal of changing discriminatory practices via advocacy and litigation. Private ...
sued in
federal district court
The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district, which each cover one U.S. state or, in some cases, a portion of a state. Each district cou ...
to block the ordinance.
In July 2007, Judge
James Martin Munley ruled that the act was unconstitutional, claiming it interfered with federal immigration laws and violated the due process of individuals, employers, and landlords.
The ruling was upheld on appeal to the
United States court of appeals
United may refer to:
Places
* United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community
* United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community
Arts and entertainment Films
* ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film
* ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...
on September 9, 2010. In a public statement shortly after the decision, Barletta vowed to appeal once more. The
Supreme Court declined to hear the case.
In 2014, four years after Barletta had left office, the town of Hazleton received a court order to reimburse the ACLU $1.4 million in legal fees, and the town, which was already $6 million in debt due to
tax anticipation notes it had secured in 2010 and 2011, had to take additional loans to pay the fees.
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
2002
In 2002, Barletta ran as the Republican candidate in the
11th congressional district against nine-term
Democratic incumbent
Paul Kanjorski
Paul Edmund Kanjorski (born April 2, 1937) is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for from 1985 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
The district included the cities of Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, and Hazleton, ...
. The 11th had long been considered the most Democratic district in Pennsylvania outside of
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
and
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...
.
However, Barletta was viewed as a very strong candidate—the first credible Republican challenger Kanjorski had faced since his 1986 reelection bid—since he was a very popular Republican mayor from a heavily Democratic city. Barletta lost, taking 42 percent of the vote, losing the district's share of
Lackawanna County
Lackawanna County (; unm, Lèkaohane) is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in Northeastern Pennsylvania and had a population of 215,896 as of the 2020 census. Its county seat and largest city is Scranton.
The county ...
, home to
Scranton
Scranton is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Lackawanna County. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 U.S. census, Scranton is the largest city in Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Wyoming V ...
, by 32 points.
2008
Barletta faced Kanjorski again in 2008. He denounced the endorsement of
David Duke
David Ernest Duke (born July 1, 1950) is an American white supremacist, antisemitic conspiracy theorist, far-right politician, convicted felon, and former Grand Wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. From 1989 to 1992, he was a membe ...
in this race. Despite Kanjorski being easily reelected with 72 percent of the vote
two years earlier,
multiple polls had shown Barletta leading Kanjorski by as much as 5 percentage points, and the race was pegged as one of the nation's most competitive leading into the November elections. It was also one of very few nationwide where a Republican challenger had a credible chance at unseating a Democratic incumbent.
Barletta lost to Kanjorski 48-52 percent, largely due to losing Lackawanna County by 12,800 votes and the downballot coattail advantage bestowed to Kanjorski thanks to the presence of
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...
on the mainline ticket.
Barletta won the territory that had been in the district prior to the 2000s round of redistricting by almost 4,000 votes.
2010
Barletta announced on December 9, 2009, that he would once again challenge Kanjorski in 2010. He won his party's nomination on May 18, 2010. Kanjorski was again seen as one of the country's most vulnerable incumbents, with forecasters rating it a toss-up or a possible Republican pick-up.
Barletta won the general election on November 2, 2010, beating Kanjorski by a 55-45 percentage margin. City Council President Joe Yannuzzi succeeded Barletta as mayor of Hazleton on December 15, 2010.
2012
In the
2008 presidential election,
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...
carried the 11th congressional district with 57 percent of the vote. However, after a
gerrymander
In representative democracies, gerrymandering (, originally ) is the political manipulation of electoral district boundaries with the intent to create undue advantage for a party, group, or socioeconomic class within the constituency. The m ...
by a Republican-led delegation, the 11th was redrawn into a district Obama would've only received 47 percent of the vote in.
Barletta won reelection with 58 percent of the vote.
2014
Barletta was easily reelected, winning with 66 percent of the vote.
2016
Michael Marsicano, a fellow former Hazleton mayor, ran against Barletta in the general election. Barletta was again reelected with a 63-36 percentage margin.
Tenure
Barletta proposed five bills that later became law during his time in the House.
He proposed the Mobilizing Against
Sanctuary Cities Act of 2011 that would have denied federal funding to cities or municipalities that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, it was referred to some committees and subcommittees but was never voted on. He introduced the 1986 Amnesty Transparency Act and the Visa Overstay Enforcement Act of 2013, which sought to reexamine the
Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986
The Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA or the Simpson–Mazzoli Act) was passed by the 99th United States Congress and signed into law by U.S. President Ronald Reagan on November 6, 1986.
The Immigration Reform and Control Act altered U.S ...
and prevent visa fraud by increasing prison terms and fines, respectively.
In 2014, Barletta introduced a bill to repeal a provision in the
Affordable Care Act
The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and colloquially known as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Pres ...
which required that volunteer emergency responders be offered healthcare by the organization they volunteer with.
Barletta argued that the bill was necessary because it would be prohibitively expensive for some of organizations to provide insurance.
In 2016, Barletta joined 18 Republicans in co-sponsoring legislation that would block
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, colloquially referred to as DACA, is a United States immigration policy that allows some individuals with unlawful presence in the United States after being brought to the country as children to receive ...
recipients from enlisting in the military. Barletta proposed the Disaster Recovery Reform Act in 2017, intended to amend the 1988
Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act
The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford Act) is a 1988 United States federal law designed to bring an orderly and systematic means of federal natural disaster assistance for state and local governments in c ...
to use federal disaster assistance to directly administer both permanent and temporary housing for disaster victims, increase assistance to victims with disabilities and provide incentives for preventive preparedness of future natural disasters. It was merged into the
FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018
The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 (, ) is a United States federal law, enacted during the 115th United States Congress, which reauthorizes the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other programs till the end of fiscal year 2023. The bill ...
, which passed 398 to 23 in the House and 90 to 7 in the Senate. President
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
would sign it into law on October 5, 2018.
Committee assignments
*
Committee on Homeland Security
**
Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security
**
Subcommittee on Transportation Security
*
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
The U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives.
History
The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure was formerly known as the Committee on Public Works a ...
**
Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management (Chairman)
**
Subcommittee on Highways and Transit
**
Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials
*
Committee on Education and the Workforce
The Committee on Education and Labor is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. There are 50 members in this committee. Since 2019, the chair of the Education and Labor committee is Robert Cortez Scott of Virginia.
Hi ...
**
Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training
**
Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions
Caucus memberships
*
Afterschool Caucuses
The Afterschool Caucuses are bipartisan caucuses in the United States Congress established to build support for afterschool programs and increase resources for afterschool care. Senators Lisa Murkowski ( R- AK) and Tina Smith ( D- MN) chair the Se ...
2018 Senate race
On July 31, 2017, the Associated Press reported that Barletta was preparing to run for the
U.S. Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
, seeking the Republican nomination to challenge Democratic incumbent
Bob Casey Jr.
Robert Patrick Casey Jr. (born April 13, 1960) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Pennsylvania, a seat he has held since 2007. A member of the Democratic Party, Casey previously served as Penn ...
for his seat in the
2018 midterm elections
The 2018 United States elections were held on Tuesday, November 6, 2018. These midterm elections occurred during Republican Donald Trump's term. Democrats made a net gain of 41 seats in the United States House of Representatives, gaining a majo ...
. He officially announced on August 29. Barletta had been a staunch supporter of
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
.
Barletta endorsed Trump for president in March 2016. According to NBC News, "Barletta is a favorite of Trump. ... Trump asked Barletta to run for Senate."
Barletta was reportedly considered for a position in the
Trump administration
Donald Trump's tenure as the 45th president of the United States began with his inauguration on January 20, 2017, and ended on January 20, 2021. Trump, a Republican from New York City, took office following his Electoral College victory ...
. In his 2018 Senate campaign, Barletta pledged to "give President Trump the help he needs".
He later secured the Republican nomination, but ultimately lost to Casey in the general election on November 6, 2018. Barletta's campaign had been consistently outraised throughout the election, which he attributed to his loss, alongside Casey's recognizable name advantage.
Post congressional career
Private consulting
Barletta declined to return to Congress following his
U.S. Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
bid, instead focusing on his newly formed consulting firm, Pioneer Strategies. He joined the board of directors of World for Brexit, an organization seeking to see
Brexit
Brexit (; a portmanteau of "British exit") was the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February 2020 CET).The UK also left the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC ...
passed in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
,
2020 US Presidential election
Barletta was named chairman of the Pennsylvania delegation to the
2020 Republican National Convention
The 2020 Republican National Convention in which delegates of the United States Republican Party selected the party's nominees for president and vice president in the 2020 United States presidential election, was held from August 24 to 27, 202 ...
. Barletta participated in the 2020-2021
Trump fake electors plot
The Trump fake electors plot involved a scheme devised after the 2020 United States presidential election by former president Donald Trump and his allies in seven key states to create and submit fraudulent certificates of ascertainment that fa ...
, in which Pennsylvania's role involved twenty Republicans who met in
Harrisburg
Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the 9th largest city and 15th largest municipality in Pe ...
and pretended to cast votes for President
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
as though they were Pennsylvania's lawful delegates to the 2020
Electoral College, even though the lawful delegates
voted for President-elect
Joe Biden. According to the group, their vote was a "procedural vote to preserve
any legal claims that may be presented going forward," even though multiple lawsuits had already failed, due to a lack of evidence of electoral fraud.
2022 Gubernatorial primary run
Following an announcement that Senator
Pat Toomey
Patrick Joseph Toomey Jr. (born November 17, 1961) is an American businessman and politician serving as the junior United States senator for Pennsylvania since 2011. A member of the Republican Party, he served three terms as the U.S. representa ...
would not be seeking reelection in
2022
File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...
, Barletta declined to launch a second bid in pursuit of replacing him, however he did express interest in succeeding term-limited Governor
Tom Wolf
Thomas Westerman Wolf (born November 17, 1948) is an American politician and businessman serving as the 47th governor of Pennsylvania since 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he defeated Republican incumbent Tom Corbett in the 2014 gu ...
in
2022
File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...
.
On May 17, 2021, Barletta officially announced his candidacy for governor. He cited Wolf's lockdowns enacted in light of the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
and concern over
expanded mail-in ballots as his reasons for running. On the campaign trail, Barletta touted his political record as both Mayor of Hazleton and a U.S. Representative, labeling himself as being a predictable potential governor.
He also made special mention of how he had run and won races in primarily
Democratic areas.
Barletta lost the Republican primary election to Pennsylvania State Senator
Doug Mastriano garnering 20% percent of the vote compared to Mastriano's 44%. Following his loss, Barletta said that his run for governor will be his last campaign and that he wished to spend time with his family. He also said he would support Mastriano in the general election against Democrat
Josh Shapiro
Joshua David Shapiro (born June 20, 1973) is an American politician and attorney who has served as the Pennsylvania Attorney General since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he is the governor-elect of Pennsylvania.
Raised in Montgomery ...
. Barletta credited there being too many candidates in the primary election, lack of support for him in central and western Pennsylvania, and advertisements from Shapiro's campaign labeling Mastriano as the candidate of former President
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
(Shapiro's ads were published before Trump endorsed Mastriano) for his defeat. The last reason for Barletta's self-described loss is disputed, as Mastriano was already leading in the primary when the ads were published.
Political positions
According to ''
Vox'' in 2018, Barletta is "considered to be generally more moderate than other House Republicans, though he almost always toes the party line on major votes."
While in Congress, Barletta was a loyal ally of President
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
, but in late 2022, Barletta broke with Trump saying, "I was one of his most loyal supporters in Congress. But loyalty was only a one-way street." He also refused to support Trump's
2024
Predicted and scheduled events
* January 1
** In the United States, books, films, and other works published in 1928 will enter the public domain, assuming there are no changes made to copyright law.
***''Steamboat Willie'', Walt Disney's f ...
presidential campaign.
Abortion
Barletta voted for
Micah's law,
which prohibits abortion of fetuses starting with the twentieth week of pregnancy, when advocates of government regulation of abortion care contend that fetuses can be born prematurely with medical assistance and feel pain, with exceptions for victims of rape and incest who have undergone counseling and for cases of danger to the life of the mother.
Barletta has said he believes that life begins at conception.
Economy and budget
On April 15, 2011, Barletta voted with the Republican majority for
Paul Ryan's budget. Barletta has characterized a
balanced budget amendment as a gimmick and said he will not vote to raise the debt ceiling.
In 2017, Barletta voted for the
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act
The Act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to titles II and V of the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2018, , is a congressional revenue act of the United States originally introduced in Congress as the Tax Cuts and Jobs A ...
, the Republican Party's tax reform legislation.
In supporting the legislation, Barletta tweeted, "Our #TaxReform package doubles standard deduction, brings $$$ back home, and reduces rates for ALL taxpayers. We will #MAGA."
According to
PolitiFact, Barletta's claim is "mostly false", as the tax plan in 2018 cuts taxes for approximately 75 percent of Americans, while increasing them on 7 percent; by 2027, after the tax plan expires it will raise taxes for more than 25 percent of Americans.
In his run for Pennsylvania governor, Barletta said he does not see Pennsylvania as "business friendly" and said he would have used the office to promote business friendly policies.
Healthcare
Barletta opposed the
Affordable Care Act
The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and colloquially known as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Pres ...
(Obamacare) and voted to repeal it.
Barletta had threatened not to support its attempted repeal because he wanted the repeal legislation to prohibit undocumented immigrants from applying for health insurance tax credits. After meeting with President
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
and House Speaker
Paul Ryan, Barletta said that they had promised to bring up separate legislation to prohibit undocumented immigrants from accessing health insurance tax credits. In 2018, Barletta said that the repeal of Obamacare would not have weakened protections for individuals with preexisting conditions; experts said that the repeal would have given states the option to seek waivers whereby insurers would be allowed to raise prices for individuals with preexisting conditions who did not have continuous coverage.
Immigration
Barletta supported President
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
's 2017
executive order
In the United States, an executive order is a directive by the president of the United States that manages operations of the federal government. The legal or constitutional basis for executive orders has multiple sources. Article Two of t ...
imposing a ban on entry to the U.S. to citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries, saying: "I commend President Trump for suspending the refugee program, and in particular for Syria and the six other countries, because they are unquestionably terrorist havens and hotspots."
In 2007, Barletta opposed
comprehensive immigration reform
Comprehensive may refer to:
*Comprehensive layout, the page layout of a proposed design as initially presented by the designer to a client.
*Comprehensive school, a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement o ...
.
In January 2018,
CNN
CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...
reported that Barletta had frequently given interviews with a number of fringe anti-immigration groups and organizations.
Barletta spokesperson Jon Anzur responded that Barletta had "always condemned 'hate, bigotry, and racial supremacy,'" adding, "'
course Lou was not aware of these individuals’ background
..
the mayor of a small city, Lou didn't have the resources or staff to screen everyone who asked him questions... Lou did 27 interviews
ne day
NE, Ne or ne may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Neutral Evil, an alignment in the American role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons''
* New Edition, an American vocal group
* Nicomachean Ethics, a collection of ten books by Greek philosopher Ar ...
"
Elections
Barletta has described Pennsylvania's no-excuse mail voting law as "a mistake". In an interview Barletta said his position was to "make sure we have free and fair elections."
Personal life
Barletta is a
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
* Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
. He is married to Mary Grace Malloy Barletta and together they have four daughters. Mary works as an elementary school teacher, as do two of their daughters.
Barletta enjoys baseball, having wanted to become a major league ballplayer during his youth, and would often participate in the annual
Congressional Baseball Game
The Congressional Baseball Game for Charity is an annual baseball game played each summer by members of the United States Congress. The game began as a casual event among colleagues in 1909 and eventually evolved into one of Washington, D.C.'s ...
during his time as a U.S. Representative.
Barletta descends from
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
immigrants, and after his term in Congress, he helmed the American Italian Food Coalition and sought to protect Italian-produced food products from U.S. tariffs.
Barletta has a cousin, Allison Barletta, who serves on the Hazleton City Council as a Republican. She primaried incumbent Hazleton Mayor Jeff Cusat in May 2019, but was unsuccessful.
Electoral history
Primary elections
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Barletta, Lou
1956 births
20th-century American businesspeople
21st-century American politicians
American politicians of Italian descent
Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania alumni
Candidates in the 2018 United States Senate elections
Candidates in the 2022 United States elections
Living people
Mayors of places in Pennsylvania
Politicians from Hazleton, Pennsylvania
Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania