Congressman Lou Barletta, District 11, a successful small-business owner and former mayor of Hazleton, has launched a campaign video announcing that he is running for the United States Senate seat currently held by Democrat Bob Casey Jr. The video can be viewed at

www.LouBarletta.com.Barletta said he is running to be a leader who listens to the people of Pennsylvania and fights for them in Washington.Barletta said he will work to protect American jobs, repeal and replace Obamacare, lower middle class taxes, secure our borders, fix our nation's broken infrastructure, and put America - and Pennsylvania - first."I don't see running for the Senate to represent Pennsylvania as an opportunity. I see it as a responsibility. I wasn't born with a famous last name. I was born into a home in Hazleton where we learned that with hard work, anything is possible. My dad only had an eighth-grade education, but he and my mom taught us the value of getting our hands dirty. I grew up working with my family in road construction, and then Mary Grace and I started our own business with $29.95 and a dream. We turned that little company into the largest of its kind in Pennsylvania. I am running for the United States Senate to make sure that this same dream is alive for the next generation."I want to be the type of senator that you can be proud of, confident that I will always put Pennsylvania's interests first, and assured that I will work relentlessly to give Pennsylvania a strong voice in Washington."As he grew his business and raised his four daughters, Barlettasuccessfully ran for Hazleton city council in 1998. Two years later, he was elected mayor of Hazleton. In two years, Barletta turned a $1.2 million deficit into a $500,000 surplus.The White House appointed Barletta to represent the United States on the United Nations Advisory Committee of Local Authorities in 2004, and the Pennsylvania State Mayor's Association named Barletta Pennsylvania's Mayor of the Year in 2008.In 2010, Barletta defeated a 26-year incumbent Democratic Congressman in a district where Democrats significantly outnumbered Republicans.