2 leading Dems jump ship, back Barletta

Brian Kelly, Patrick Rogan scorn Democrat Kanjorski in 11th District U.S. House race.
By Bill O'Boyle
Staff Writer

WILKES-BARRE – Some local Democrats are organizing to help elect a Republican to Congress.

Brian Kelly, who received 11,512 votes in the Democratic primary, has endorsed Republican Lou Barletta for Congress in the 11th District.

Kelly was joined at a press conference at Genetti’s in Wilkes-Barre by Patrick Rogan, vice president of Scranton City Council and a Democrat. Rogan, 23, won a seat on city council in 2009, garnering 8,941 votes – second only to Janet Evans.

Kelly and Rogan have formed Democrats for Barletta – a Democratic coalition formed to help Barletta try to unseat 13-term incumbent U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski, 73, of Nanticoke.

Kelly and fellow Democrat Corey O’Brien, a Lackawanna County commissioner, combined to outpoll Kanjorski in the primary. O’Brien received more than 23,236 votes in the primary, bringing the Democratic challengers’ total to 34,748 votes to Kanjorski’s 33,783. Kelly said Democrats that voted against Kanjorski in the primary must vote against him in November.

“Paul Kanjorski has been in Congress longer than I’ve been alive,â€