All eyes will once again be on Pennsylvania this upcoming Election Day, with three Republican-held “toss-up” seats that may determine the control of the US House.
One of the most closely watched races this fall will include Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District, where Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti (D) is running against freshman Rep. Rob Bresnahan (R-Luzerne).
Here’s a look at the candidates:
Paige Cognetti
Dubbed “Paige Against the Machine” during her first campaign for Scranton mayor, Cognetti has earned a reputation for taking on, and defeating, the local Democratic Party.
Cognetti ran as an independent for mayor in a 2019 special election after Bill Courtright, the previous mayor, resigned and pleaded guilty to federal corruption charges.
Since then, she’s become a crusader against public corruption and has included an anti-corruption platform in her congressional campaign.
During the campaign, Cognetti and Bresnahan have been going toe-to-toe when it comes to unveiling endorsements from labor unions. So far, she has the backing of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO, the Pennsylvania State Education Association, Service Employees International Union (SEIU) State Council Pa., the Communications Workers of America, and more.
Rob Bresnahan
Since taking office last year, Bresnahan has found himself in a handful of scandals throughout his first term.
Bresnahan, who has an estimated net worth of over $37 million, has become one of Congress’ most prolific stock traders–making over 640 trades valued at $8.43 million–since taking office last year.
Most notably, Bresnahan sold up to $130,000 in stocks from Medicaid providers and offloaded between $100,001 and $250,000 worth of bonds from the Allegheny County Hospital Development Authority for the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center prior to voting for President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which cut Medicaid by nearly $1 trillion.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, more than 21,000 of Bresnahan’s constituents will lose their healthcare coverage once the Medicaid cuts go into effect after the elections, while over 11,500 residents will lose SNAP benefits.
Despite voting for Trump’s budget cuts and drawing scrutiny over stock trades, Bresnahan secured the endorsements of the American Federation of Government Employees—the largest union representing federal government employees—the Pennsylvania Conference of Teamsters, and the Pennsylvania Laborers District Council.
