Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D-Pa.), one of the strongest supporters of credit unions in Congress, trails his GOP challenger Lou Barletta 48%-43%, according to a poll released today by The Hill newspaper.
The survey of 402 likely voters taken last week found that the percentage of voters who view Kanjorski favorably is the same as those who view him unfavorably--47%. Barletta, the mayor of Hazelton who has lost to Kanjorski twice before, has a 52% favorability rating and 38% respondents viewed him unfavorably.
President Obama carried the district, which is located in Northeastern Pennsylvania, in 2008 but his disapproval rating in the district is 51%.
Former President Clinton and Vice President Biden have both campaigned for Kanjorski, who is the No.2 Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee. He has sponsored many key pieces of credit union legislation, most recently a bill that would raise the cap on member business loans to 27.5% of assets.
