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United States Representative, Congressional District 8

Congressional District 8 (119th Congress), Pennsylvania

My vote power

High

Election date

November 3, 2026 · General election

Currently a toss-up
How do we calculate my vote power?

What goes into the rating: Representation: how much weight one vote carries here compared with a statewide vote — the smaller the district, the more each vote counts. Decisiveness: how likely this race is to be close, based on past results or current analyst ratings, plus the number of candidates.

Representation: Normal · 63 out of 100

This district covers a large share of its state, so each vote carries about average weight — like a vote in a statewide race. About 768,757 people live here.

Show the representation math

score = 50 + 50 × ln(state population ÷ this district's) ÷ ln(50,000) = 50 + 50 × ln(13,018,639 ÷ 768,757) ÷ ln(50,000) = 63.07, measured against a statewide vote in PA (grades: 66+ high, 33+ normal, otherwise low; a statewide race is the 50 baseline)

Decisiveness: High · rated toss-up as of August 20, 2026

Election analysts currently rate this race very close — a small number of votes could decide the winner. Rating from Inside Elections and University of Virginia's Sabato's Crystal Ball.

Show the decisiveness math

IE "Toss-up" (d=0) + Sabato "Toss-up" (d=0) → mean 0 → "toss-up" → grade high (d: toss-up 0, tilt 2, lean(s) 3, likely 4, solid/safe 5; mean, first match: <1 toss-up, <2.5 very competitive, <3.5 competitive, <4.5 somewhat competitive, otherwise not competitive; toss-up and very competitive grade high, competitive and somewhat competitive grade normal, not competitive grades low)

Normal representation + high decisiveness → My vote power: High.

About this office

  • Voting on how much you pay in federal income tax
  • Voting on Social Security, Medicare, and other federal programs
  • Voting on federal spending for roads, defense, and health care

Affects: AI Regulation, Healthcare Affordability, Environment and Public Health,

Candidates

Democratic · declared

Paige Cognetti has served as mayor of Scranton since 2020 and previously served on the Scranton School Board. Her earlier work included advising the Pennsylvania auditor general and serving in the U.S. Treasury Department.

Records: Government Efficiency 2 for, Government Spending Reduction 2 against, Public Infrastructure 2 for,

Republican · Incumbent · declared

Rob Bresnahan Jr. has represented Pennsylvania's 8th congressional district in the U.S. House since 2025. He previously led a family electrical-contracting company and worked in real-estate development and community organizations.

Records: Environment and Public Health 7 for, 43 against, Government Spending Reduction 4 for, 14 against, Immigration 14 against,

Sources: fec.gov2