Unsurprisingly, Hazleton, PA’s Illegal Immigration Relief Act has been struck down by activist Judge James Munley. The town’s courageous Mayor Lou Barletta, who has vowed to fight on, if necessary all the way to the Supreme Court, continues to surge in popularity.

First he won not only the Republican, but also the Democratic primary (!) in the upcoming mayoral election in his home town. Now, as the Examiner reports, national Republican strategists, seeking a candidate with clear “winning power,” are beginning to court Barletta for higher office:

National Republicans continue to court the mayor of Hazleton, the city where a much-copied anti-illegal immigration law was struck down last week by a federal judge.

Rep. Tom Cole, the chairman of National Republican Congressional Committee, told reporters on Monday that he recently had dinner with Mayor Lou Barletta and is hopeful he’ll run for a seat in the U.S. House.

If Barletta runs, it would be one of the party’s top priority House races, Cole said during a conference call.

“I think he would be a tremendous candidate,” said Cole. “I think he’s got a couple unique assets. I think the immigration issue and his success as mayor, the bipartisan support he’s gotten from both parties, make him an unusually attractive candidate.”

Our comment: despite such high-profile bad eggs as President Bush and Senators McCain and Specter, the Republican Party, at its grassroots, is still patriotic. Party leadership is often torn between the wishes of the grassroots and big-money lobbyists’ and contributors’ desire for cheap labor and open borders. Rep. Cole’s courting of Mayor Barletta shows that when the grassroots shout loudly enough, the higher-ups do listen! 

This entry [Permalink] was posted on Monday, July 30th, 2007 at 9:31 pm.
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