Paige Cognetti

Paige Cognetti was eight months pregnant when Scranton elected her mayor in 2019.¹ She ran as an independent under the banner “Paige Against the Machine,” after her predecessor pleaded guilty to federal charges and resigned.¹ Today, she and her husband are raising two daughters in the city, a long way from her childhood in Beaverton, Oregon.²

Before City Hall, Cognetti worked in investment advising in New York and at the Treasury Department during the Obama administration.² Her education includes an English literature degree from Oregon and an MBA from Harvard.² She later advised Pennsylvania's auditor general on public schools and care for older adults and served on Scranton's school board.²

Scranton left Pennsylvania's financial distress program in 2022, two years after she took office, ending nearly 30 years of state oversight.³ The recovery had begun before her arrival and continued through the pandemic.³ By 2026, the city reported an A minus credit rating and investments in stormwater protection, street repairs and parks.⁴

Now a Democrat challenging Rob Bresnahan, Cognetti campaigns on banning congressional stock trading and rejecting corporate PAC money.⁵ Her platform also includes paid family leave, affordable childcare, stronger unions and restrictions requiring data center developers to pay their own infrastructure costs.⁵ The contest is among Pennsylvania's House races rated a toss up by the Cook Political Report, with healthcare costs and household finances central to the debate.⁶