{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Radio Chatskill","title":"Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti Enters PA-8 Congressional Race Against Rep. Rob Bresnahan","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":892,"description":" Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti has officially launched her campaign for Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District, challenging Republican Rep. Rob Bresnahan in what’s expected to be one of the most closely watched elections in Northeastern Pennsylvania.Cognetti, who first won office in 2019 as an independent before switching to the Democratic Party, said her campaign will focus on corruption, health care, and transparency. “As Scranton Mayor, one of the main things I ran on was fighting corruption,” Cognetti said in her announcement. “Now I’m bringing that fight to Congress.”Cognetti’s record in ScrantonCognetti rose to prominence in Lackawanna County when she ran as an independent against Scranton’s Democratic machine in 2019, branding her campaign as “Paige Against the Machine.” Since then, she has governed as a Democrat, but often at odds with local party insiders.“Someone who has run not necessarily as a staunch establishment Democrat coming into this race for Congress makes it super interesting,” said Liam Mayo, news editor of the River Reporter, which covers Pike and Wayne counties. “That gives her a certain background that a lot of people wouldn’t necessarily have.”Cognetti enters the race with the backing of former U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, who represented PA-8 until losing to Bresnahan in 2024. Cartwright praised Cognetti’s “proven leadership in Scranton, commitment to transparency, and innovative policies” in his endorsement.Bresnahan under fire in Northeastern PennsylvaniaBresnahan, a Republican businessman from Luzerne County, defeated Cartwright in 2024 with 50.94% of the vote—just over 7,000 votes separating the two candidates.Cognetti is already targeting Bresnahan over congressional stock trading and health care votes. While campaigning in 2024, Bresnahan pledged to ban stock trading by members of Congress. Since then, he has drawn criticism for continuing to make high-profile trades.“He has continued to do a lot of high-profile trading in ways...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/q7XXsnSXT_u4mZLCn3chUorwDmUD_kWiB272D6emB18/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS80N2Uy/OGY5MWUwZThkYTEw/NDVkZGM2ZGZkZDIw/ZjliOS5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}