2026 Pennsylvania (PA-08) US House Voters Guide

Rob Bresnahan (R) vs Paige Cognetti (D)

House of Representatives | Election | Nov 3, 2026

The Candidates

Rob Bresnahan

Rob Bresnahan

Republican

Incumbent
Paige Cognetti

Paige Cognetti

Democrat

The Issues

Abortion

Ban or legal?

Rob Bresnahan (R)

Mixed. “I would never support a federal ban on abortion.” Supports PA’s 24-week abortion law. Supports the overturning of Roe v. Wade: “Dobbs did exactly what it should do and put it back to the states.” Voters in each state should decide.

Paige Cognetti (D)

Legal. “[Abortion] needs to be legal, it needs to be safe.” Says it’s important to elect leaders who “will protect a woman’s right to choose.” In 2022 said the overturning of Roe v. Wade would “send healthcare…to a time we should never revisit.”

Share Their Positions

Climate Change

Should climate change be a top priority?

Rob Bresnahan (R)

No. Supported ending EPA rules aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. Voted to end Biden-era clean energy tax credits. Opposed the pausing of liquified natural gas exports.

Paige Cognetti (D)

Yes. In 2021 called the Inflation Reduction Act, with its $369 billion in clean energy investments, “historic investment that we need to prevent the worst effects of climate change.” Helped develop a Climate Action Plan as mayor of Scranton.

Share Their Positions

Criminal Justice

How to ensure effectiveness and fairness in law enforcement?

Rob Bresnahan (R)

I will always stand with law enforcement and ensure they have the resources to…keep our community safe.” Secured funding for better police technology and equipment. Introduced a bill allowing federal prosecutors in death penalty cases to empanel a second sentencing jury if the first can’t reach a unanimous sentencing recommendation. The bill would “ensure justice is not denied due to a single juror’s bias.”

Paige Cognetti (D)

Supports “funding our brave men and women in law enforcement.” Supported a 3rd-party intervention program to curtail violence in Scranton. Listed her administration’s accomplishments in her years as mayor to include: the Scranton police department hiring more officers, adding 50+ new vehicles equipped with smart technology, and investing $4 million in police safety equipment, including body cams.

Share Their Positions

Economy

Cut or increase government investment in, and regulation of, the economy?

Rob Bresnahan (R)

Mostly cut. “I’m a big believer in the free market and letting the free market dictate various different industries.” Would “work to end government overreach and red tape.” Voted to loosen regulation of the crypto industry. Voted to cut existing USAID foreign aid and cut off existing funding for NPR and PBS. Would invest in infrastructure.

Paige Cognetti (D)

Mixed. Would “cut red tape,…move faster on infrastructure,” and “add more defense manufacturing in Northeastern Pennsylvania.” As mayor, “lowered permit fees,…streamlined the permitting process by bringing it online. “Invested in infrastructure with over $20 million in streetscape projects.”

Share Their Positions

Education

Use public funding for private and/or for-profit schools?

Rob Bresnahan (R)

Yes. Supports “expanding school choice.” The federal government can “incentivize school choice through federal funding.”

Paige Cognetti (D)

No position found.

Share Their Positions

Environment

Loosen or tighten environmental regulations?

Rob Bresnahan (R)

Loosen. Voted to expand oil and gas leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Voted to end a 20-year protection against mining upstream from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Voted to increase forest thinning in fire-prone areas by easing environmental laws. Voted to undo controls on companies emitting seven major pollutants.

Paige Cognetti (D)

Tighten. Calls for conducting “impact studies” and not worsening “stormwater or other environmental issues” for potential data centers in Scranton. In 2021 opposed PA bills that would prevent municipal officials “from implementing local policies meant to reduce…air pollution.” In 2021 advocated for “federal help to invest in sustainable solutions…to reduce the impact of severe storms.”

Share Their Positions

Gun Laws

Loosen or tighten gun laws?

Rob Bresnahan (R)

Loosen. Sponsored a bill to allow concealed carry of guns across state lines. Is “a stalwart supporter of the second amendment.”

Paige Cognetti (D)

Tighten. Supported Philadelphia’s challenge to state-level restrictions on cities that seek to enact gun-control measures. Supports federal legislation to require gun-sale background checks.

Share Their Positions

Health Care

Increase or decrease government support for health care?

Rob Bresnahan (R)

Mixed. Voted to extend Affordable Care Act premium subsidies for three years. Extension “is the only path forward that keeps discussions alive to protect the 28,000 people in my district from immediate premium spikes.” Voted for the One Big Beautiful Bill, which included Medicaid cuts.

Paige Cognetti (D)

Increase. Would “prevent healthcare industry middlemen from denying care and medications prescribed by doctors.” Supports fully funding Affordable Care Act premium subsidies. Opposes cuts to Medicaid in the One Big Beautiful Bill and calls them “deep and damaging.”

Share Their Positions

Immigration

How to handle immigration?

Rob Bresnahan (R)

Supports building a border wall. Voted to increase ICE funding by $75 billion. Would ensure “our border patrol agents have the resources they need” to apprehend “violent criminals before they enter our country.” Would “prohibit taxpayer funding from relocating illegal immigrants into communities.”

Paige Cognetti (D)

Says the Biden policy “in the first couple of years” was “a huge misstep.” “We need that secure border.” Opposes “buying billions of dollars of warehouses to potentially detain our neighbors.” Called for protecting immigrants in “legal limbo.” “Our country has needed to give pathways to citizenship to the [DACA] Dreamers, to essential workers, for decades.”

Share Their Positions

Iran

Support the war in Iran?

Rob Bresnahan (R)

Yes. “While we do not seek conflict, we cannot allow a dangerous regime to act without consequences.” Voted against requiring Congressional authorization for U.S. military action in Iran in March, April, May, and June.

Paige Cognetti (D)

No. Calls for “information” and “clarity” on the war. “We don’t know what the goals are.” Says “the goal shifting is…not fair to our troops,… military families,…the American people.” Opposes “sending our tax dollars overseas while our prices keep rising at home.”

Share Their Positions

Labor

Make it easier or harder for unions to organize?

Rob Bresnahan (R)

Easier. Voted to restore collective bargaining rights to federal workers. “The right to collectively bargain is the cornerstone of fair labor and a strong middle class.” Supports requiring employers to bargain with newly organized unions within 10 days after a vote to unionize.

Paige Cognetti (D)

Easier. Would “back the PRO Act to protect and expand the right to organize.” Would “strengthen unions; make it easier to join and start a union.” Wants kids to know that “union work, apprenticeship programs” will “build their life.”

Share Their Positions

LGBTQ Rights

Limit or expand LGBTQ rights?

Rob Bresnahan (R)

Limit. Says PA voters don’t “want their kids being indoctrinated into the school systems and gender ideologies and theories.” Voted to prohibit transgender athletes participating in women’s and girls’ sports at schools receiving federal funds.

Paige Cognetti (D)

Expand. In 2020 said, “I stand with Scranton’s LGBTQ community in their ongoing fight for equality. In 2021 supported a Scranton ban on conversion therapy for minors, a practice that tries to change one’s sexual orientation.

Share Their Positions

Minimum Wage

Raise the federal minimum from $7.25 per hour?

Rob Bresnahan (R)

Yes. Sponsored a bill to raise the minimum wage, indexing it “to the cost of living.” “Raising the minimum wage is about restoring fairness, rewarding hard work, and ensuring every worker in our communities can provide for their family.”

Paige Cognetti (D)

Yes. As Scranton mayor advocated for giving Pennsylvania cities the power to establish higher minimum wages than the statewide level. Implemented a grant program to allow local businesses to raise their employees’ wages. “Higher working wages help us all.”

Share Their Positions

Taxes

Raise or lower taxes on corporations and wealthier individuals?

Rob Bresnahan (R)

Lower. Voted to extend the 2017 Trump tax cuts, which included, among other cuts, a break for the very wealthy and the largest one-time cut in the corporate tax rate. Pledged not to raise taxes.

Paige Cognetti (D)

Raise. Opposes cutting “taxes for the ultra-wealthy.” “Washington should focus on making billionaires and their extremely profitable companies pay their fair share while investing more in our collective futures.”

Share Their Positions

Voting Rules

Make voting harder or easier?

Rob Bresnahan (R)

Harder. Voted to require proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote and require photo ID to vote in federal elections. “Only Americans should be in a position to vote in American elections.”

Paige Cognetti (D)

Unclear. Has sought “fair legislative maps” to ensure that PA’s cities “can have a voice in Harrisburg.”

Share Their Positions

guides.vote is a nonpartisan effort to show where candidates stand. We do not support or oppose any political party or candidate. We include candidates polling 15% or more. Vote411.org offers guides to local races and how to vote. For campuses, see Campus Vote Project’s state-specific guides to student voting rules.

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Rob Bresnahan

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Paige Cognetti

democratic Party

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Rob Bresnahan

republican

Paige Cognetti

democratic

See guides.vote for online guides with links & sourceshttps://robforpa.com/https://paigeforpa.com/
Abortion

Ban or legal?

Mixed. “I would never support a federal ban on abortion.” Supports PA’s 24-week abortion law. Supports the overturning of Roe v. Wade: “Dobbs did exactly what it should do and put it back to the states.” Voters in each state should decide.Legal. “[Abortion] needs to be legal, it needs to be safe.” Says it’s important to elect leaders who “will protect a woman’s right to choose.” In 2022 said the overturning of Roe v. Wade would “send healthcare…to a time we should never revisit.”
Climate Change

Should climate change be a top priority?

No. Supported ending EPA rules aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. Voted to end Biden-era clean energy tax credits. Opposed the pausing of liquified natural gas exports.Yes. In 2021 called the Inflation Reduction Act, with its $369 billion in clean energy investments, “historic investment that we need to prevent the worst effects of climate change.” Helped develop a Climate Action Plan as mayor of Scranton.
Criminal Justice

How to ensure effectiveness and fairness in law enforcement?

I will always stand with law enforcement and ensure they have the resources to…keep our community safe.” Secured funding for better police technology and equipment. Introduced a bill allowing federal prosecutors in death penalty cases to empanel a second sentencing jury if the first can’t reach a unanimous sentencing recommendation. The bill would “ensure justice is not denied due to a single juror’s bias.”Supports “funding our brave men and women in law enforcement.” Supported a 3rd-party intervention program to curtail violence in Scranton. Listed her administration’s accomplishments in her years as mayor to include: the Scranton police department hiring more officers, adding 50+ new vehicles equipped with smart technology, and investing $4 million in police safety equipment, including body cams.
Economy

Cut or increase government investment in, and regulation of, the economy?

Mostly cut. “I’m a big believer in the free market and letting the free market dictate various different industries.” Would “work to end government overreach and red tape.” Voted to loosen regulation of the crypto industry. Voted to cut existing USAID foreign aid and cut off existing funding for NPR and PBS. Would invest in infrastructure.Mixed. Would “cut red tape,…move faster on infrastructure,” and “add more defense manufacturing in Northeastern Pennsylvania.” As mayor, “lowered permit fees,…streamlined the permitting process by bringing it online. “Invested in infrastructure with over $20 million in streetscape projects.”
Education

Use public funding for private and/or for-profit schools?

Yes. Supports “expanding school choice.” The federal government can “incentivize school choice through federal funding.”No position found.
Environment

Loosen or tighten environmental regulations?

Loosen. Voted to expand oil and gas leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Voted to end a 20-year protection against mining upstream from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Voted to increase forest thinning in fire-prone areas by easing environmental laws. Voted to undo controls on companies emitting seven major pollutants.Tighten. Calls for conducting “impact studies” and not worsening “stormwater or other environmental issues” for potential data centers in Scranton. In 2021 opposed PA bills that would prevent municipal officials “from implementing local policies meant to reduce…air pollution.” In 2021 advocated for “federal help to invest in sustainable solutions…to reduce the impact of severe storms.”
Gun Laws

Loosen or tighten gun laws?

Loosen. Sponsored a bill to allow concealed carry of guns across state lines. Is “a stalwart supporter of the second amendment.”Tighten. Supported Philadelphia’s challenge to state-level restrictions on cities that seek to enact gun-control measures. Supports federal legislation to require gun-sale background checks.
Health Care

Increase or decrease government support for health care?

Mixed. Voted to extend Affordable Care Act premium subsidies for three years. Extension “is the only path forward that keeps discussions alive to protect the 28,000 people in my district from immediate premium spikes.” Voted for the One Big Beautiful Bill, which included Medicaid cuts.Increase. Would “prevent healthcare industry middlemen from denying care and medications prescribed by doctors.” Supports fully funding Affordable Care Act premium subsidies. Opposes cuts to Medicaid in the One Big Beautiful Bill and calls them “deep and damaging.”
Immigration

How to handle immigration?

Supports building a border wall. Voted to increase ICE funding by $75 billion. Would ensure “our border patrol agents have the resources they need” to apprehend “violent criminals before they enter our country.” Would “prohibit taxpayer funding from relocating illegal immigrants into communities.”Says the Biden policy “in the first couple of years” was “a huge misstep.” “We need that secure border.” Opposes “buying billions of dollars of warehouses to potentially detain our neighbors.” Called for protecting immigrants in “legal limbo.” “Our country has needed to give pathways to citizenship to the [DACA] Dreamers, to essential workers, for decades.”
Iran

Support the war in Iran?

Yes. “While we do not seek conflict, we cannot allow a dangerous regime to act without consequences.” Voted against requiring Congressional authorization for U.S. military action in Iran in March, April, May, and June.No. Calls for “information” and “clarity” on the war. “We don’t know what the goals are.” Says “the goal shifting is…not fair to our troops,… military families,…the American people.” Opposes “sending our tax dollars overseas while our prices keep rising at home.”
Labor

Make it easier or harder for unions to organize?

Easier. Voted to restore collective bargaining rights to federal workers. “The right to collectively bargain is the cornerstone of fair labor and a strong middle class.” Supports requiring employers to bargain with newly organized unions within 10 days after a vote to unionize.Easier. Would “back the PRO Act to protect and expand the right to organize.” Would “strengthen unions; make it easier to join and start a union.” Wants kids to know that “union work, apprenticeship programs” will “build their life.”
LGBTQ Rights

Limit or expand LGBTQ rights?

Limit. Says PA voters don’t “want their kids being indoctrinated into the school systems and gender ideologies and theories.” Voted to prohibit transgender athletes participating in women’s and girls’ sports at schools receiving federal funds.Expand. In 2020 said, “I stand with Scranton’s LGBTQ community in their ongoing fight for equality. In 2021 supported a Scranton ban on conversion therapy for minors, a practice that tries to change one’s sexual orientation.
Minimum Wage

Raise the federal minimum from $7.25 per hour?

Yes. Sponsored a bill to raise the minimum wage, indexing it “to the cost of living.” “Raising the minimum wage is about restoring fairness, rewarding hard work, and ensuring every worker in our communities can provide for their family.”Yes. As Scranton mayor advocated for giving Pennsylvania cities the power to establish higher minimum wages than the statewide level. Implemented a grant program to allow local businesses to raise their employees' wages. “Higher working wages help us all.”
Taxes

Raise or lower taxes on corporations and wealthier individuals?

Lower. Voted to extend the 2017 Trump tax cuts, which included, among other cuts, a break for the very wealthy and the largest one-time cut in the corporate tax rate. Pledged not to raise taxes.Raise. Opposes cutting “taxes for the ultra-wealthy.” “Washington should focus on making billionaires and their extremely profitable companies pay their fair share while investing more in our collective futures.”
Voting Rules

Make voting harder or easier?

Harder. Voted to require proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote and require photo ID to vote in federal elections. “Only Americans should be in a position to vote in American elections.”Unclear. Has sought “fair legislative maps” to ensure that PA’s cities “can have a voice in Harrisburg.”

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