Rep. Lou Barletta, R-Pa., is blasting an ad being run by Democratic Sen. Bob Casey in their battle for Senate.
The ad accused Barletta of voting to let insurers refuse coverage for people with pre-existing medical conditions, according to The Washington Times. It highlights Stacie Ritter of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, whose twin daughters were diagnosed with cancer.
In the ad she says: “If Lou Barletta has his way, kids like mine could be denied the care they need.”
But Barletta says the ad came a month after he confided to Casey that his 18-month-old granddaughter, also a twin, was fighting cancer. And he says the ad is inaccurate.
“I can't tell you the hurt and pain we felt, my whole family, my wife and my daughter," he said during an interview on TV's "Fox & Friends." "Knowing I had just told this story to Sen. Casey about the miracle birth of these twins that we have. To see this ad -- I thought what I saw with Brett Kavanaugh was all-time low. I didn't realize that Sen. Casey would stoop to this level, to hurt a family. Obviously, he doesn't know what it's like to have a loved one diagnosed with cancer, yet alone an 18-month-old baby that is getting chemotherapy as we speak.
“Well my argument, first of all, (is) the ad is a lie to begin with. I have said publicly, actually co-sponsored a bill, that I would not support anything that would deny anybody pre-existing conditions.”
The Washington Times reported the ad will not be seen in Barletta’s home area of Scranton, but will air in Pennsylvania’s other TV markets.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.