Six-year Mayor of Scranton, re-elected twice — Paige Cognetti took a city from junk-bond status to investment grade and is ready to flip PA-08. Support Paige directly!
Donate via ActBlue »Meet Mayor Paige Cognetti — A Fighter Running in PA-08. See her interview. Click her name.
"Too many people have been in office to benefit themselves, not the people."
In her own words from that interview:
Paige reformed Scranton's city government — taking on special interests and battling corruption in City Hall. She turned down the city car, eliminated cash payments, and cut costs, leading to budget surpluses and a rapid improvement from junk-bond to investment-grade credit status. She's brought in new businesses, cut red tape for job growth, and added modern infrastructure to temper rising insurance costs.
In contrast, her freshman MAGA opponent has become one of the most prolific stock traders in the entire congressional body. He campaigned against stock trading — called it "sickening" and promised to ban it immediately — but is now often among the top 10 most prolific traders in Congress. His trades tie directly to his votes: he sold six figures of Medicaid provider stock a week before voting to slash a trillion dollars from Medicaid (source, letter, NBC News report).
"Too many people have been in office to benefit themselves, not the people. Unfortunately, I see the same pattern with our freshman representative. So I'm running for Congress to make sure Northeastern Pennsylvania has somebody who will fight for them." – Mayor Paige Cognetti, candidate for Congress PA-08
Data Centers
Paige has found the fight that ties Northeastern Pennsylvania's past to its present, and PBS covered it: she is taking on the data-center proposals crowding in around her city. Speaking to the camera, she invokes the region's industrial heritage as a coal and shale-gas powerhouse:
She takes up the same theme in a recent interview, with a sharp discourse on how the data-center proposals are infuriating local people. Ohio's Sherrod Brown is running into exactly the same issue — this one is not going away.
The District
PA-08 includes all of Lackawanna, Pike and Wayne counties and parts of others — Northeastern Pennsylvania about 120 miles west of New York City. See Ballotpedia and Wikipedia (Check out the history of Congressional representatives for PA-08 and see that the first was elected in 1791. "Present at the creation…"). Trump won by 8.5 points in 2024; the freshman Republican won by only 1.6 points. A June 23 poll shows Paige pulling ahead of Bresnahan, and Cook Political Report has now moved this seat all the way from "Lean Republican" to Toss Up.
Recent coverage: Penn Capital-Star, Newsweek poll, University of Oregon profile, Michelle Cottle of the New York Times profiles this race, a local paper on the on-the-ground appreciation for her years of service to Scranton.
The Opponent
Rob Bresnahan Jr. is in his first term. He assured constituents he supports Medicaid, signed a letter to Speaker Johnson pleading to preserve it, then voted to defund it. American Bridge has a deeper dive into his negatives. As of February 2025, Bresnahan had not posted the location of his local office. Conversations with The Bulwark's Tim Miller and Aaron Parnas lay out the full case.
Latest Updates
- Paige has a new ad out — check it out.
- Another strong summary of the PA-08 race that could do a lot to support our House flip.
- PBS covers Mayor Cognetti taking on data-center proposals near her city — and the argument she makes about who cleans up after big companies leave.
Endorsements & Support
- Campaign website
- Emily's List
- Giffords PAC — endorses Paige as a reliable ally on gun safety
- Swing Left — Flip the House
- Force Multiplier
Local Organizing
