(The Center Square) – Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti, a Democrat, narrowly outraised Republican U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan in the first three months of the year in what is shaping up to be an expensive race for Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District.
Cognetti raised $1.46 million from the beginning of January until the end of March, while Bresnahan raised $1.2 million during that same time period, according to campaign finance reports released on April 15.
This is the first quarter that Cognetti has outraised Bresnahan since she formally joined the race for the 8th District.
Cognetti’s Q1 haul is the second highest among candidates running for the U.S. House in Pennsylvania, only trailing fellow Democratic challenger Janelle Stelson, who raised $2.17 million in her bid for the state’s 10th Congressional District.
Bresnahan’s campaign, raising $1.2 million for the first three months of the year, is the highest among Republicans and incumbents running for office in Pennsylvania, but third overall behind Stelson and Cognetti.
Cognetti, the mayor of northeast Pennsylvania’s largest city, has slightly outraised the freshman congressman since she declared her entrance into the race. Since announcing her candidacy in early September, Cognetti has raised $2.6 million, while Bresnahan’s campaign has raised $2.48 million from the beginning of July 2025 to the end of March 2026.
However, Bresnahan, who won the seat in 2024 over Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, has raised $4.3 million to date in the election cycle, the third-highest among U.S. House candidates in Pennsylvania. U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-1st District, leads the way with $5.49 million raised in the total 2026 election cycle, followed by Stelson, who has raised $4.37 million since she announced her bid for Congress in July.
Both candidates added to their campaign cash on hand over the last three months, although the advantage that Bresnahan held entering the year has also started to narrow.
At the beginning of 2026, Bresnahan’s campaign $1.43 million on hand, while Cognetti’s campaign carried just over $805,000 into the new year.
Bresnahan’s campaign began April with $2.2 million on hand, as Cognetti’s campaign carried $1.92 million into the month.
Cartwright, who was the incumbent in 2024, had a cash-on-hand advantage over Bresnahan at this point in the previous cycle. In April 2024, Cartwright had $3.15 million on hand, while Bresnahan’s campaign had just under $835,000.
Bresnahan and Cognetti’s campaign spent a similar amount of money over the last three months. From the beginning of January to the end of March, Bresnahan’s campaign spent just under $430,000. Cognetti’s campaign spent just over $340,000 during that same time period.
Although the primary election is still one month away, the matchup between Bresnahan and Cognetti appears to be all but set for the general election since they are the only candidates who have filed to run for the seat in 2026.
The race for the 8th District is already bringing some high-profile elected officials to the district.
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, visited the district earlier this month to raise campaign money for Bresnahan’s bid for a second term. U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, an Arizona Democrat, appeared with Cognetti on Saturday for an “anti-corruption town hall” event hosted by “End Citizens United,” a political action committee that typically backs Democrats and wants to see “meaningful campaign finance reform.”
The Cook Political Report recently shifted the 8th Congressional District race from its “Lean Republican” category to the “Toss Up” column.
“Freshman Rep. Rob Bresnahan’s stock trades have dogged him all cycle, giving Democrats a potent line of attack in a district that has been trending Republicans’ way but is very much in play this cycle,” the Cook Political Report wrote.
