For the second consecutive quarter, Rep. Rob Bresnahan (R., Pa.) outraised his opponent in the race for Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District, Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti, according to newly filed fundraising reports.
In 2025’s penultimate quarter, Cognetti — one of House Democrats’ top recruits — raised just over $500,000, while Bresnahan raised $598,000. The fundraising gap widened further in the fourth quarter; Cognetti reported raising $640,000. Bresnahan, meanwhile, brought in more than $675,000, despite scaling back fundraising during the federal government shutdown.
“Congressman Bresnahan is humbled by the continued support for his campaign,” his campaign manager Peter Brath told the Washington Reporter. “Voters are responding to Rob’s focus on what is best for all the people of Northeastern Pennsylvania, while Mayor Paige Cognetti remains focused on the far-left extremism pushed by her and the leaders of her party.”
The shutdown was in October, typically the strongest fundraising month of the quarter for lawmakers like Bresnahan.
Bresnahan ended the reporting period with $1,437,137 on hand, nearly double Cognetti’s $778,000. Cognetti is taking fire from Republicans for allying herself with progressive lawmakers, like Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D., Wash.), the Congressional Progressive Caucus Chairwoman, during her campaign. Republicans view Cognetti’s work as Scranton’s “part-time mayor” as campaign trail fodder, they have said.
Bresnahan, who flipped a longtime Democratic district in 2024, is expected to be one of the Democrats’ top targets in 2026.