Paul Kanjorski has been in Washington, DC, representing Pennsylvania’s eastern 11th district, for 25 years, a very long time. And with that kind of service, you’re bound to enjoy some of the perks of office.

Like having friends come to bat for you when you’re facing probably your toughest fight yet for re-election.

And so it comes as no surprise that the National Association of Realtors is infusing some very big money into Kanjorski’s race against Republican Lou Barletta — half a million dollars, to be exact. The Realtors’ Association, through it’s political action committee, is buying ads for Kanjorski, none of which are yet online.

The 11st district race is one of the most watched in Pennsylvania, and Barletta poses a real threat to Kanjorski’s hold on the seat. A recent poll put Barletta up some 11 points over incumbent Kanjorski.

Lucian Salvant, government affairs director for the National Association of Realtors, put his group’s ad buy into context.

“Our policy on helping candidates is dependent on how well they support real estate issues,” Salvant explained to Battle ’10. “It doesn’t matter if they’re Democrat or Republican.”

“Kanjorski has been a leader for us in getting real estate related issues through Congress for many years,” Salvant said.

“He was very instrumental in moving the tax credit” for first-time home buyers, Salvant explained, the $8,000 credit the government extended to encourage home sales.

Kanjorski serves on the financial services subcommittee.