Uploaded with ImageShack.us
This has been a sleeper race but it's also been getting some attention. Well-known local activist, Gene Stilp (D), who's eccentric and amusing campaign style will be debating Mexican-hating Republican Lou Barletta on local TV:
http://standardspeaker.com/...
In the 11th Congressional District, incumbent Rep. Lou Barletta, R-Hazleton, and Democratic activist/consultant Gene Stilp of Middle Paxton Township are scheduled to debate at the same Wilkes venue on Oct. 8 at 8 p.m., Stilp and Barletta's campaign manager, Lance Stange Jr., confirmed.
They are also scheduled to debate Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. on WVIA-TV, the local PBS station, Stilp and Stange confirmed. - Standard Speaker, 10/2/12
Stilp pulled an upset victory in the Democratic primary against local attorney, Bill Visko, who was endorsed by the AFL-CIO. Stlip has been campaigning around the 11th district with a giant pig statue and a campaign bus designed to look like a pig. The pig is suppose to be a symbol of pork-barrell spending. Stilp is famous for opposing the 2005 Pennsylvania General Assembly pay raise controversy. Stilp was one of three people to make the Philadelphia Inquirer's Citizens Of The Year back in 2005. Stilp also made the The Pennsylvania Report 100 list of influential figures in Pennsylvania politics.
Stilp was also named One Of A Kind Candidate by Comedy Central's indecision 2012 for his use of his prop pig, Pignelope, as a symbol of corruption and government waste:
http://www.indecisionforever.com/...
Stilp isn't just an inflatable pig-haver with a pretty face. He filed the only lawsuit against a dead-of-night state legislature pay raise. Which is great, really great. But more importantly he's also used a comically large hypodermic needle to talk about healthcare, and he once walked through 20 counties with an oversized electric plug on his back. And he built a miniature Statue of Liberty and covertly put it out in the middle of the Susquehanna River. Stilp says creating jobs is his main priority, which, yes, that is very important. But he has also built roadside America attractions, which is better than anything you’ve done today. Sorry, that's a scientific fact. - Comedy Central Indecison, 9/17/12
Stilp has to be my favorite underdog of the campaign season. His eccentric campaign style has helped him lead successful activist campaigns in the past and I would love to see him pull a surprise victory against that bigot, Lou Barletta. Here's a little background on Barletta:
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
In 2006, 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. In response, the ACLU and Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund sued in Federal District Court to block the ordinance. In July 2007, District Court Judge James M. Munley ruled that the act was unconstitutional for interfering with Federal immigration laws and violating the due process of individuals, employers and landlords. The ruling was upheld on appeal to the United States Court of Appeals on September 9, 2010. In a public statement shortly after the decision, Barletta vowed to appeal. - Barletta's Wikipedia page
Barletta also voted for the Paul Ryan Budget which turns medicare into a voucher program. He faced some very angry constituents at a town hall meeting after his vote:
Stilp has vowed to preserve and save medicare and Social Security. He may be an unorthodox candidate but he is an honest man. Lets help him beat Barletta:
https://secure.actblue.com/...