How To Use This Guide

1. Pick the issues you care about. Rank the two or three that matter most to you.
2. Find which office handles them. The U.S. House writes federal law and sets the federal budget, and all bills that raise taxes must start there. Pennsylvania has no U.S. Senate race this year, and the local questions in this guide would change ethics rules in Luzerne County and the shape of several local governments.
3. Compare the candidates. Read where each candidate stands on your top issues, then read the candidates’ own words and who funds each campaign.

The U.S. House Race

What This Office Does

U.S. House members serve two-year terms and vote on every federal law and the federal budget. The 8th District covers Lackawanna, Pike and Wayne counties and parts of Luzerne and Monroe counties, according to Spotlight PA’s congressional election guide. The lines are the same as in 2024, under the map the Pennsylvania Supreme Court chose in February 2022, according to Ballotpedia’s Pennsylvania redistricting page. ​

The district voted for President Donald Trump in 2020 and 2024 and is rated a toss-up. Data center proposals, including a high number in Archbald, have become the defining local issue, and the candidates also differ on the war with Iran and tariffs.

Candidates In Brief

Rep. Rob Bresnahan (R-PA), the Republican nominee, is a Dallas Township native who was CFO and then CEO of a family electrical contracting company and founded RPB Ventures, a property redevelopment firm, according to Bresnahan’s Ballotpedia profile. Bresnahan unseated Democrat Matt Cartwright in 2024 by 50.7% to 49.1% and was unopposed in the Tuesday, May 19, primary.

Democrat Paige Cognetti is the mayor of Scranton, first elected as an independent in a 2019 special election after the previous mayor resigned. Cognetti earlier served on the Scranton School Board and as a special assistant to the state auditor general, holds degrees from the University of Oregon and Harvard, and was unopposed in the Democratic primary, according to Cognetti’s Ballotpedia profile.

Where They Stand

Data centers. Bresnahan introduced the Local Control Protection Act in June, which would limit companies’ ability to sue when towns deny data center zoning applications, saying, “We should never let billion-dollar corporations supersede the voices of those who live in the community,” according to the Associated Press. The bill has not left committee. Cognetti says “Big Tech needs to pay their own way,” wants data centers on brownfields and former industrial sites, and calls for no secrecy agreements, local union labor and a community’s right to say no. Both candidates said some projects, such as one in Salem Township, may make sense.

Corruption and stock trading. Cognetti would ban stock trading by members of Congress and refuses corporate political action committee (PAC) money, saying, “Until we get the corruption out of the way, we can’t solve our problems,” according to WVIA’s debate coverage. Bresnahan campaigned in 2024 on banning congressional stock trading and has made hundreds of trades since taking office. Bresnahan’s office says a financial adviser made those trades without Bresnahan’s direction, according to Politico. Bresnahan has told the adviser to stop trading until Congress passes a ban and signed a petition to force a House vote on one.

Health care and Social Security. Cognetti criticizes Bresnahan’s vote for the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act and its Medicaid cuts and says the law shortened the Social Security trust fund’s timeline. Bresnahan says lawmakers “can’t cut your way out of a $40 trillion deficit” and favors economic and workforce growth to shore up Social Security.

Iran and Ukraine. Bresnahan says the war with Iran “absolutely needs to end” and opposes sending ground troops, while Cognetti calls for “real diplomacy” and says Bresnahan voted six times to fund the war. Both candidates support Ukraine in its war with Russia.

Immigration. Bresnahan backs a “big fence with a wide gate” approach and says violent criminals in the country illegally must be deported. Cognetti calls for comprehensive immigration reform, a secure border and a path to citizenship.

In Their Own Words

Rob Bresnahan, at the WVIA debate, Thursday, Oct. 29:

“Under no circumstances should violent criminal illegal aliens remain in the United States.”

Paige Cognetti, at the same debate, per FOX 56’s debate report:

“It’s rigged by the corporations and the billionaires who control Congress.”

Questionnaires And Debates

Bresnahan and Cognetti met in their only debate on Oct. 29 at WVIA’s studios in Pittston. Tracey Matisak moderated, with panelists from WVIA News, the Citizens’ Voice and the Pennsylvania Cable Network, and C-SPAN also carried the debate. Cognetti completed Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey, and Bresnahan did not.

Endorsements

Bresnahan is endorsed by Trump, House Speaker Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA), the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Federation of Independent Business, the Pennsylvania State Troopers Association, the Pennsylvania Conference of Teamsters, the American Federation of Government Employees and several police and electrical worker union locals, according to Ballotpedia.

Gov. Josh Shapiro campaigned with Cognetti on Wednesday, May 20, calling Cognetti “unbought” and “unafraid,” according to WVIA’s report on the visit. Cognetti is also endorsed by Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-PA), former Rep. Matt Cartwright, the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO, the Pennsylvania State Education Association, the United Steelworkers, EMILYs List and Giffords PAC, according to Ballotpedia.

Who Is Funding Them

These figures are Federal Election Commission (FEC) totals for the 2026 cycle as shown on AllCiv’s Pennsylvania 8th District race page as of Wednesday, Oct. 14. Bresnahan reported raising $6.5 million and spending $5.8 million, with $733,000 on hand and $677,000 in debt. Cognetti reported raising $7.5 million and spending $7.3 million, with $244,000 on hand.

Donors who give more than $200 in a cycle are listed by name in FEC filings. Smaller gifts are reported only as a lump total, so small donors’ names are not public.

The Incumbent’s Record

Bresnahan serves on the House Agriculture, Small Business and Transportation and Infrastructure committees and is vice chair of the Highways and Transit Subcommittee. This Congress, Bresnahan has voted in 639 of 645 roll call votes and voted against most Republicans 35 times out of 602, a rate AllCiv ranks in the top quarter of the House. Bresnahan has cosponsored 297 bills, 123 of them led by Democrats, according to AllCiv’s vote data.

Bresnahan says the office has brought home $110 million for hospitals, schools, drug prevention and infrastructure. In 2025, Bresnahan praised companies “looking to Northeastern Pennsylvania for their data centers” and joined Shapiro in welcoming a $25 billion Blackstone investment in regional data centers and power plants, according to Politico.

Challengers’ Records

Cognetti has led Scranton since January 2020 and highlights fighting corruption, pulling the city out of financial distress and investing in police. Cognetti has not served in Congress.

Scorecards Readers Can Check

Groups such as Heritage Action for America, the AFL-CIO and the League of Conservation Voters publish scorecards that rate Bresnahan’s House votes. Different groups score different sets of votes, so their ratings measure different things.

Also On Your Ballot

Pennsylvania has no statewide ballot questions this year. Your county election office lists every local question on your ballot.

Luzerne County

Ethics and Stock Trading Charter Amendment. A Yes vote requires the county ethics code to bar county elected officials and employees from trading individual stocks or betting on prediction markets using nonpublic information from their county jobs. It also requires an annual report on ethics complaints and stock trades by county, state and federal elected officials who represent the county, drawn from public records. A No vote leaves the ethics code unchanged. It is the first charter amendment placed on the ballot by citizens, after Action Together NEPA gathered more than 23,000 signatures, according to the Times Leader’s report on the amendment. Executive Director Alisha Hoffman-Mirilovich says voters have “watched, outraged, as officials prioritize personal stock portfolios over the common good.” Election board vice chairman Rick Morelli notes the county cannot regulate state or federal officials and questions the report’s scope and cost.

Dallas, Jenkins and Sugarloaf Township Supervisors. Voters in each of these townships will decide whether to grow their board of supervisors from three members to five. A Yes vote puts two new seats on the 2027 ballot, with winners taking office in 2028, and a No vote keeps three supervisors, according to the Times Leader’s report on the township questions. Residents petitioned for the Dallas and Sugarloaf questions, and Jenkins supervisors voted 2 to 1 to place theirs. In Dallas, Chair Liz Martin estimates two more supervisors with health coverage could cost about $500,000 over a six-year term and calls it a “tax burden,” while petitioner Fern Leard wants “extra eyes on the room.” In Jenkins, Supervisor Robert Linskey projects up to $100,000 in added cost, and Supervisor Stanley Rovinski says, “let the people decide.” In Sugarloaf, petitioner and Supervisor Erika Cook says the cost would be minimal.

Hazleton Home Rule Charter. A Yes vote adopts a home rule charter written by the city’s Government Study Commission. The charter would set up an elected mayor who runs daily operations and appoints department heads, and a five-member council elected citywide to staggered four-year terms. It also caps yearly growth in general fund tax revenue at 7%, requires a balanced budget and an annual outside audit and allows citizen petitions and referendums, according to the commission’s charter presentation. A No vote keeps Hazleton’s current form of government. If approved, the charter would take effect Jan. 1, 2027, with changes phased in through 2029.

Before You Go

Still Ahead

  • Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and anyone in line at 8 p.m. may vote, according to the Pennsylvania Department of State’s election page. Find your polling place with the state’s polling place lookup.
  • Mail ballots must reach your county election office by 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3, and a postmark does not count. If you requested a mail ballot but want to vote in person, bring the ballot and its outer envelope to your polling place so it can be voided.
  • ID: You only need ID if you are voting at your polling place for the first time. A photo ID, such as a driver license, passport or student ID, works, as does a non-photo ID with your name and address, such as a voter registration card or utility bill, according to the state’s guide for new voters.
  • Help in the booth: You may bring anyone to help you vote except your employer or union representative. You can ask for a provisional ballot if your name is missing from the poll book but you believe you are registered there, according to the Department of State’s voter rights guidance.
  • Questions: Call the Pennsylvania Department of State voter hotline at 1-877-868-3772, or call or text the nonpartisan Election Protection hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683).

Deadlines That Have Passed

  • Registration closed Monday, Oct. 19.
  • Mail ballot applications were due Tuesday, Oct. 27. Pennsylvania has no separate early voting period.

Sources

AllCiv Profiles and Race Pages

Official Records

Candidate Statements and Questionnaires

News

Ballot Measures

Voting Information

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