In a story posted on the political web site Politico.com, Kanjorski was quoted comparing Barletta to former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke.  “What David Duke was to civil rights, my opponent has done that with immigration. He’s used that issue the same way Duke used the civil rights issue,” Kanjorski is quoted as saying.

Here is Lou Barletta’s response to Kanjorski’s remarks:

"This week, I called for Paul Kanjorski to denounce the vicious and defamatory acts being waged at me by Democrats in Washington. That was until I found out today that the Congressman himself was making such outrageous and hateful claims. I call on him to recant his statement and it is my hope that he will apologize for his remarks. By attempting to link me to an individual who has spent his entire life conjuring up hatred and preying upon racial and religious division in America, Paul Kanjorski is not only insulting me, but he is attacking those who have supported me. Securing our nation's borders is a responsibility that our elected leaders in Washington have neglected to uphold. To marginalize the frustrations of Pennsylvania voters at Congress' negligence on this issue by drawing parallels to one of America's most infamous disseminators of hate is not befitting of a member of the United States Congress."