I'm not sure this formula of running against "the machine" will work for every Democrat (which means being critical of the Democratic Party itself), but certainly looking like you're fighting for the public's interest rather than your own ambitions is something they can all do. And Cognetti has a useful foil in freshman Rob Bresnahan, one of the more openly corrupt new congressmen.
I'm almost certain she'll win next November, despite PA-08 having a slight Republican advantage. Bresnahan is an awful politician and inept, and if this first ad is any indication, Paige Cognetti is not. After this ad came out last week, she raised $225,000 in the first 48 hrs of her campaign.
Source: Politico
Scranton, Pennsylvania, Mayor Paige Cognetti launched a campaign Tuesday to challenge GOP Rep. Rob Bresnahan for his Northeast Pennsylvania House seat.
Cognetti began her campaign by lashing into the embattled GOP freshman over his murky financial record since entering Congress.
“People here work hard,” Cognetti said in a video announcement Tuesday. “And we stand tall. And our new congressman falls a bit short. Rob was handed the keys to a family fortune at 19. Workers here built that company. Rob sold it to foreign private equity.”
Pennsylvania’s 8th District is one of a dwindling number of true swing seats left in Congress. Bresnahan defeated Democrat Matt Cartwright by just over 6,000 votes last November, bolstered in part by a promise to ban stock trading.
In May, Bresnahan introduced legislation to bar members of Congress or their spouses from trading stock while in office, to kick off in January 2027.
But since arriving in Washington, Bresnahan has continued to trade stocks, though he says financial advisers manage his portfolio. House Republicans have still privately raised concerns about the activity.
“Sold Chinese stocks the week of a tariff, buys missile stocks before a war,” Cognetti said in her video announcement. “Buys jet stocks before a big contract. Oversees crypto, buys crypto stocks before a vote.”
And her ad hit the mark, with the usual whines of "far-left extremist" coming from the inept Bresnahan team.
Chris Pack, a spokesperson for Bresnahan’s campaign, called Cognetti a “far-left extremist” and accused her of supporting open borders and defunding the police in a statement to POLITICO.
“We look forward to putting a spotlight on her extreme and dangerous positions, which are completely out of step with Northeastern Pennsylvania, where President Trump won by nearly 10 points,” Pack said.
Her announcement ad.
“Paige Against The Machine” That's what they called our campaign against Scranton's corrupt machine.
I ran as an independent, won, and we kept going. We’ve reformed government and worked hard for people. Our current Congressman falls… a bit short, so we're taking our fight to DC pic.twitter.com/ZXcJYZpqQc— Paige Gebhardt Cognetti (@PaigeGCognetti) September 2, 2025
