Cognetti unseats Bresnahan in Pennsylvania’s 8th District
Cognetti won 55.2% of the vote to Bresnahan’s 44.8%, with 94% of ballots counted when the race was called. Her victory returned the northeastern Pennsylvania district to Democrats two years after Bresnahan ousted longtime Democratic Rep. Matt Cartwright by less than two percentage points.
Bresnahan had won in 2024 as Donald Trump carried the district by nearly nine points. The race was viewed as competitive, and Cognetti’s win gives Democrats a seat they hope will help them secure a House majority for the rest of Trump’s presidency.
Cognetti made Bresnahan’s stock trading a central campaign issue. He had campaigned in 2024 in support of banning congressional stock trades, then made hundreds of trades after taking office. Bresnahan said his financial adviser handled the transactions; he later said he had stopped trading and introduced a House stock-trading ban in May 2025.
Cognetti also criticized Bresnahan’s support for Trump’s agenda, including the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and the war in Iran. Bresnahan emphasized federal funding for the district and tax cuts, and his campaign questioned Cognetti’s local roots. She moved to Scranton in 2016 and has served as its mayor since 2020.
Voters Reject Bresnahan’s Trading and Trump’s Agenda
Cognetti won 55.2% of the vote to Bresnahan’s 44.8%, with 94% of ballots counted when the race was called. Her victory flips a district Trump carried by nearly nine points in 2024 and gives Democrats a chance to reclaim a seat they lost that year.
The result is a rebuke to a freshman Republican who campaigned on banning congressional stock trades, then made hundreds of trades while in office. Bresnahan said his financial adviser made the transactions, and later said he had stopped trading and introduced a House ban. But voters made the issue central to the contest, and Cognetti pressed the gap between his campaign pledge and his conduct in office.
She also tied Bresnahan to Trump’s agenda, including the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which reduced projected Medicaid costs and food aid, as well as the conflict in Iran. Bresnahan highlighted federal funding for the district and tax cuts; those appeals did not prevent his defeat.
Cognetti’s win is especially significant in a district Trump carried by almost nine points. Democrats are looking to win back the House majority for the rest of Trump’s presidency, and this result strengthens their position in that effort.
Republican Loses Trump-Won Pennsylvania Seat to Democrat
Cognetti won 55.2% of the vote to Bresnahan’s 44.8%, with 94% of ballots counted when the race was called. The outcome flips a district Republicans captured in 2024, when Bresnahan defeated longtime Democratic Rep. Matt Cartwright and Trump carried the area by nearly nine points.
Bresnahan campaigned on federal funding for the district and economic priorities including tax cuts, and he had Trump’s endorsement. But Cognetti focused relentlessly on the hundreds of stock trades Bresnahan made after entering Congress, despite having campaigned in favor of a ban. Bresnahan maintained that his financial adviser handled the trades; he later said he had stopped and introduced a House stock-trading ban.
The Democrat also connected Bresnahan to Trump’s agenda and the war in Iran. Her campaign’s focus helped turn a competitive race into a clear win, while Republican attacks questioned her local roots. Cognetti moved to Scranton in 2016 and has served as the city’s mayor since 2020.
The defeat hands Democrats a seat they lost two years ago as they seek a House majority through the remainder of Trump’s presidency. It also shows the challenge Republicans face in holding a district that backed Trump but swung decisively to Cognetti in the congressional race.
Reported by Raw Story, Townhall, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Washington Examiner, CBS Philadelphia.
