Paul Edmund Kanjorski[3] (born April 2, 1937) is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for Pennsylvania's 11th congressional district from 1985 until 2011.

Before his election to Congress, Kanjorski was a trial attorney, city solicitor, and administrative law judge for workers' compensation.

"[6] Before entering politics, Kanjorski practiced law in Wilkes-Barre often helping coal miners and their widows obtain black lung benefits.

He usually played behind-the-scenes roles in the advocacy or defeat of legislation and steers appropriations money toward improving the infrastructure and economic needs of his district.

"[citation needed] On May 10, 2007, the usually moderate Kanjorski voted with fellow Democrats to begin the redeployment of all forces from Iraq, however the bill was defeated.

[13] Later that year, Kanjorski was instrumental in the crafting of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, helping draft a considerable portion of this legislation.

Kanjorski's vote in opposition to the bill stemmed from his disenchantment with the fact that the legislation extended President George W. Bush's tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.

[citation needed] In an interview on C-SPAN on January 27, 2009, Kanjorski defended the original emergency actions by the United States government to halt the 2008 financial crisis in September 2008.

[14][15] On February 10, 2009, the financial writer Daniel Gross subsequently confirmed some elements of the story on Countdown with Keith Olbermann, but he prefaced his remarks by saying "I don't know if his numbers are 100 percent correct".

Kanjorski ran in the crowded special election as an independent, finishing behind State Representative Ray Musto.

[18] He won the general election by a solid 17-point margin, even as Ronald Reagan carried the district in his landslide reelection bid.

The margin would have likely been closer had the state legislature not shifted heavily Democratic Scranton and most of surrounding Lackawanna County from the nearby 10th District to the 11th.

In 2008, Fox News broadcast a segment accusing Kanjorski of obtaining $10 million in earmarks for a company run by his family.

[20] Multiple polls had shown Kanjorski trailing by as many as five percentage points,[21] and the race was pegged as one of the nation's most competitive leading into the 2008 elections.