Paige Cognetti for Congress
Running for Pennsylvania’s 8th District
Paige Cognetti is running for the US House of Representatives for Pennsylvania’s 8th District, pitching a reform-and-results message rooted in her record as Scranton’s mayor.
Cognetti first won the mayor’s office in 2019, running as an Independent in a special election after Scranton’s prior mayor resigned amid federal corruption charges. The first woman elected mayor of Scranton, she went on to win a full term as a Democrat and was re-elected again in 2025.
In her congressional campaign, Cognetti is running on a reform-and-results message, promising to take on corruption and cut red tape, while pointing to her record as mayor who modernized city operations and delivered neighborhood and infrastructure improvements. It also highlights more than $155 million in state and federal grants secured during her tenure and investments in public safety, including funding for police technology and training.
Before becoming mayor, Cognetti served on the Scranton School Board, worked in Pennsylvania government under then–Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, and held federal roles in economic and international affairs. She was also appointed to a U.S. Trade Representative advisory committee in the Biden administration.
In Congress, she says she’ll reject corporate PAC money, push for a ban on congressional stock trading, take on monopolies and junk fees (including credit card fees), and pursue health insurance reforms. She also emphasizes faster, more practical permitting and infrastructure delivery, rebuilding manufacturing, and opposing broad tariffs she argues raise costs for families.