WILLIAMSPORT, PA — After independent candidate Nick Troiano released a poll showing that he would stand a chance of beating incumbent Tom Marino in a two-way race, but not in the three-way race now underway, Ryan Barton, Marino’s campaign manager, released a statement saying “recent polls show Marino’s overwhelming favorability over opponents” in the district.

Barton said, “Tom’s opponents now tout their self-conducted polls designed to paint a picture of closeness in this race. That’s simply a lie. The people here know better and can see right through such blatant desperation. Nick is lagging significantly behind in the polls even after launching a television ad, which he paid for with funds from his DC political friends. Furthermore, Nick has continued to drop in the polls after admitting to voting for Barack Obama and endorsing his dangerous policies that are hurting the hard-working people of our district.”

He added, “People simply cannot trust him to make good decisions after voting for a man, Obama, whose policies and intense political divisiveness are destroying our country. A vote for Troiano and [Democratic candidate Scott] Brion is a vote for Obamacare, higher taxes and cronyism.”