The race for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania has been one nearly devoid of the attack ads or campaign hostility one might expect in today’s political climate. But that’s not because of some sort of gentleman’s agreement between the two candidates; it’s rather because the frontrunner refuses to acknowledge his opponent.
U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, R-11, Hazleton, is running against a local candidate, state Rep. Jim Christiana, R-15, Brighton Township. Barletta has won the backing of the state GOP as the best candidate to take on incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey in November. Christiana has refused to drop out of the race, even though his campaign is severely underfunded, and maintains that he would be the better Casey opponent.
Barletta, 62, is best known for his controversial immigration policies while mayor of Hazleton, and his dedication to President Donald Trump, having served as co-chairman of Trump’s state campaign committee in 2016 and a member of the Trump White House transition team. We’d like to tell you more about the man and his views, but that would be difficult: Barletta declined repeated offers from The Times editorial board for an endorsement interview.
So, instead, we’ll concentrate on Christiana and why we believe he’s earned the support of Republican voters in the May 15 primary.
The 34-year-old has spent the last 10 years in Harrisburg and bills himself as someone willing to work with Democrats, rather than increasing the political dysfunction in government.
“We need to find points where we agree rather than disagree,” he told The Times editorial board. “Rarely does one party deliver all the votes necessary for good public policy.”
Christiana pointed to his bipartisan efforts that resulted in UPMC and Highmark striking a deal ensuring patients’ access to certain physicians, and in securing a $1.65 billion tax credit package that helped bring the Shell Chemicals ethane cracker plant to Potter Township.
Both deals, he said, required compromise from both sides.
Christiana has also been a champion of transparency in government while serving in the state House. His efforts led to the creation of PennWATCH, an online site with access to state government, spending, salaries, budgets and the like. More recently, he was one of the sponsors of a bill to increase the transparency of Pennsylvania’s state-related universities: Lincoln University, Penn State, the University of Pittsburgh and Temple University.
On the issue of immigration, Christiana said Barletta’s rhetoric is “disgusting” and ignores differences between legal and illegal immigration.
“I’m worried about how we treat immigrants and having a system that works,” he told The Times. He favors reforming the family unification component rather than eliminating it, and supports a fix to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that provides a path to “legal long-term status.”
As for tightening gun restrictions, Christiana believes there are common-sense approaches that need to be put in place instead of banning assault-type weapons, which he said would criminalize those who bought them legally and use them responsibly. He favors improving background checks because the ones in place now are not being handled correctly.
He also lamented the role the National Rifle Association has assumed of being the “exclusive spokesman on Second Amendment issues,” saying that it is a “disservice to many people who have a much broader belief behind the Second Amendment.”
As for making schools safer from shootings and violence, Christiana said it should be the same approach as that taken after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to tighten airport security. However, he said it is “irrational” for many on the right to focus on arming teachers as the solution.
Although he faces an uphill battle in campaign financing and name recognition, we believe Christiana would bring reasonable approaches to addressing national issues. We encourage Republican voters to support him on May 15.