Robert Bresnahan

Republican candidate for Pennsylvania's 8th Congressional District Rob Bresnahan, left, and Democratic candidate for Pennsylvania's 8th Congressional District Paige Cognetti, right. Photos: U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development / Flickr / Public Domain, Commonwealth Media Services / Used with Permission

(The Center Square) – Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti, the Democratic candidate challenging incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan for the commonwealth’s 8th Congressional District, continues to lead in fundraising for the closely watched race in northeast Pennsylvania.

From the beginning of July to the end of September, Cognetti’s campaign raised $2.48 million, while Bresnahan’s campaign brought in just under $965,000, according to campaign finance reports released on Thursday.

Cognetti’s Q3 haul is the second highest among candidates running for the U.S. House in Pennsylvania, only trailing fellow Democratic challenger Bob Brooks, who raised just under $2.6 million over the last three months in his bid against incumbent GOP U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie for the state’s 7th Congressional District. Bresnahan’s total raised during Q3 was the sixth highest among candidates running for the U.S. House in the Keystone State. Among GOP incumbents running in battleground districts, he had the third largest haul, trailing U.S. Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick and Scott Perry.

Cognetti’s campaign has raised $7.09 million since she launched her candidacy in September 2025, which is the third highest among congressional candidates in Pennsylvania, only trailing Democrat Janelle Stelson, running in the 10th Congressional District, and Fitzpatrick. Bresnahan’s campaign has raised $6.29 million in the election cycle to date, which is the fifth highest among congressional candidates in the state.

No congressional race in Pennsylvania saw more spending over the last three months than the contest between Bresnahan and Cognetti.

From the beginning of July to the end of September, Cognetti’s campaign spent $4.94 million, while Bresnahan’s campaign spent $2.66 million. Among congressional candidates in the state, Cognetti’s total spent over the last three months is the second highest, while Bresnahan’s is the fourth highest.

The $7.6 million combined total spent between the candidates in Q3 is the most of any race in the state.

Both candidates entered Q3 with significantly more on hand and entered the final stretch of the campaign with a similar amount of money in the bank.

Cognetti’s campaign began October with $950,000 on hand, while Bresnahan’s campaign entered the month with just under $910,000. The combined $1.85 million on hand between the candidates is the lowest of the four battleground races in Pennsylvania this cycle.

At this point in the previous cycle, the Democratic incumbent had a significant cash on hand advantage entering the final weeks of the campaign. At the beginning of Oct. 2024, U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-Lackawanna, had $1.91 million in the bank, while Bresnahan had just under $465,000.

Like previous cycles, the seat in northeast Pennsylvania remains a target for both parties.

In 2024, Bresnahan defeated Cartwright by just over 6,000 votes, or approximately 1.6%.

The 2026 race could be the closest congressional contest in the Keystone State this November.

The Cook Political Report currently describes just one race as a toss-up in Pennsylvania: the matchup between Bresnahan and Cognetti.

Sabato’s Crystal Ball also rates the race for the state’s 8th District as a Toss-up, while Inside Elections gives a narrow edge to Cognetti by dubbing the race as Tilt Democratic.

While Donald Trump won Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes in 2024 and carried the 8th Congressional District, recent polling shows the president’s approval rating underwater. Trump is supporting Bresnahan in his bid for a second term, while Gov. Josh Shapiro is backing Cognetti.

Last month, Bresnahan was one of two battleground candidates in Pennsylvania to take the stage at the Republican Party’s midterm convention, which was dubbed “Trumpapalooza” by Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters. Shapiro has also campaigned alongside Cognetti this year in the district.