Rep. Lou Barletta (R-PA) defeated State Rep. Jim Christiana (R-PA) to win the Pennsylvania Republican primary on Tuesday night, allowing him to face off against the incumbent Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) in the general election.
President Donald Trump recorded a robocall for Rep. Barletta during the state’s Republican primary, urging voters to back the former Hazelton mayor.
Congressman Barletta explained to Breitbart News in the exclusive statement on Monday that President Trump understands that electing Rep. Barletta to the U.S. Senate will help the president implement his America First agenda.
Barletta told Breitbart News:
President Trump clearly understands how important my campaign against Bob Casey is for advancing his agenda through the Senate. Bob Casey has rejected, resisted, and obstructed our president at every step. One vote in the Senate can make the difference, and the president is committed to helping me win this race.
In the recording, President Trump cheered Barletta for serving as one of the first congressmen to endorse him in the 2016 Republican presidential primary.
“It took courage for Lou to do that, and I’ll never forget it,” Trump argued. The forty-fifth president also noted Barletta’s support for pro-American immigration reform as well as his vote for the recently passed Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
Penn Live, a local Pennsylvania publication, endorsed Barletta for the Republican primary, stating Barletta is the most “loyal lieutenant” President Trump has ever had.
In February, the Republican Party of Pennsylvania unanimously voted to endorse Rep. Lou Barletta for the U.S. Senate.
Several prominent politicians and conservatives have endorsed Barletta for the U.S. Senate seat to defeat Sen. Casey, including President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA), the entire Pennsylvania Republican congressional delegation, as well as dozens of Pennsylvania state lawmakers.
Trump chastised Sen. Bob Casey, whom Barletta hopes to defeat in the general election, for serving as a cheerleader for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).
Trump states in the recording that Sen. Casey is “Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi’s guy, and he’s been a disaster in the Senate.”
Barletta told Breitbart News on Monday that if he were in the Senate, he could be “the difference, just that one vote” to repeal Obamacare, secure America’s borders, and stop illegal immigration.
On Tuesday night, Barletta thanked citizens for choosing him as the GOP nominee for the U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania. Barletta said in a statement on Tuesday night, “I’m honored by the outpouring of support from Republican voters across Pennsylvania. The contrast between Senator Casey and me could not be clearer. I’ve been a blue collar worker, a blue collar mayor, and a blue collar congressman who fights for the American worker, stands tough against illegal immigration, and keeps our families safe. Bob Casey has resisted, rejected, and obstructed the president’s agenda at every turn. This election is about the direction of Pennsylvania and our country. We cannot turn back to the failed Obama policies that hurt our workers and put our families at risk. As your next senator, I will always put Pennsylvania before Washington. I believe in term limits, and Bob Casey’s 12 years in the Senate are up.”
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