PITTSTON, Pa. — Ex-NFL player Rep. Burgess Owens (R-Utah) brought his star power to a Northeastern Pennsylvania battleground district — and a warning for voters.

“The Biden administration and [Rep. Matt] Cartwright, those are the kind of people that will stomp out business owners as fast as they can because it gives them more power,” Owens told a group of small-business owners Monday in Luzerne County.

Owens, who won Super Bowl XV with the Oakland Raiders, came to Pennsylvania to campaign with GOP House candidate Rob Bresnahan in his home district and hear entrepreneurs’ concerns.

Bresnahan, 34, is challenging Cartwright in Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District — a red-leaning tossup district that includes all of Lackawanna, Pike and Wayne counties, as well as parts of Luzerne and Monroe counties.

The businessman believes the right business-friendly leadership in Washington could transform the region into an economic powerhouse.

“With the amount of universities we have, we are exporters of brains. People come here, they’re educated, and unfortunately they have to relocate out of the area to get a job,” said Bresnahan. “There’s no reason Northeastern Pennsylvania can’t be an economic hub.”

Local entrepreneurs in the trucking, real-estate and clothing-retail industries attended a roundtable with Bresnahan and Owens to express their frustrations under President Biden’s tenure.

All advocated policy changes to address the increased costs — such as fuel prices and high interest rates — that have plagued the Biden-era economy.

“You don’t even want to start to build a home because the price of everything has [increased],” said Lee Ann McDermott, a real-estate professional who serves on the Luzerne County Council. “Even if someone wanted to build a home, it’s second thoughts.”

Following the roundtable session, Bresnahan led Owens on a brief walking tour through Pittston — a quaint mountainside city of about 7,000 residents along the Susquehanna River.

The aspiring congressman discussed the potential to bring more small businesses, such as a new brewery and ice-cream shop, to his hometown if elected.

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