Democrat Kanjorski hangs on in Pa.

SCRANTON, Pa., Nov. 5 (UPI) -- Veteran U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski, D-Pa., held on to his seat Tuesday, edging out a Republican mayor known as a foe of illegal immigration.

Kanjorski's lead over Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta was less than 10,000 with most of the votes counted, PolitickerPA.com reported.

"We're just thrilled," a campaign spokesman, Ed Mitchell, told the Web site. "We were down big in this race early, but we fought back hard and won."

The race was a rematch with Barletta, who challenged Kanjorski in 2002. Since then, Barletta has become a national hero among foes of immigration by pioneering a city ordinance penalizing businesses that hire illegal immigrants and landlords who rent to them.

Kanjorski has represented the 13th district in northeastern Pennsylvania since 1984, winning re-election easily -- sometimes without an opponent -- most of the time.