Barletta manager: 'Paranoia is starting to take hold' in Kanjorski camp

Lou Barletta's campaign said Monday that "paranoia is starting to take hold" in U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski's (D-Nanticoke) campaign after it accused Barletta of working with a conservative advocacy group to use robo-calls to spread "false rumors" about Kanjorksi's domestic drilling stance.

"We have no idea of what Congressman Kanjorski is talking about," said Vince Galko, Barletta's campaign manager, in a statement. "Our campaign has not done any robo-calls related to Mr. Kanjorski's failure to lower gas prices. It seems a bit of paranoia is starting to take hold of the Kanjorski campaign."

Last week, the conservative advocacy group Freedom's Watch began a series of robo-calls that criticized Democratic U.S. representatives for voting against domestic oil drilling. Kanjorski was one of three Pennsylvania congressmen whose district received the calls -- U.S. Reps. Jason Altmire (D-McCandless) and Chris Carney (D-Dimock) were the others.

Candidates for public office are not allowed to work with independent groups such as Freedom's Watch.

Kanjorksi's campaign sent a press release earlier Monday criticizing Barletta and Freedom's Watch, which it called Barletta's "extremist Republican partner," for misconstruing his position.

"Lou Barletta and Freedom's Watch are stating that I am against domestic oil drilling which is just plain wrong, and they know it," Kanjorski said in the statement. "These groups have resorted to phone calls which are not just misrepresentations, but also plainly inaccurate."

The dueling press releases are the latest missives in what has become a near daily battle between the two campaigns. With more than four months until the election, the sides already regularly send critical press releases of the other in what is one of the state's most closely watched congressional campaigns.