Republican U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan and Democratic challenger Paige Cognetti, the mayor of Scranton, faced off before a live studio audience at WVIA Studios in Pittston on Thursday, October 29, in what turned out to be their only scheduled face-to-face debate before Pennsylvania's 8th Congressional District election on Nov. 3. The hour covered a dense list of flashpoints — from the war in Iran to Medicaid, data centers, voter identification and campaign stock trading — and both candidates largely stuck to a civil tone rather than trading direct attacks.
According to timesleader.com, the two went back and forth on the economy and affordability, the war in Iran, the stock trading controversy, police funding, gun rights, the Russia-Ukraine war, Medicaid, Social Security, border security, data centers, presidential pardons, voter ID, health care, education and the national debt. The outlet described the matchup as generally respectful, noting the candidates were courteous with one another and refrained from out-and-out attacks. The debate marked a contrast with a chillier Lehigh Valley matchup: in the neighboring 7th District, Republican Bob Brooks—not Bresnahan—withdrew from a scheduled debate with Ryan Mackenzie after Mackenzie declined to pull an ad Brooks called false and defamatory, according to seed reporting from The Philadelphia Inquirer. In Bucks County's 1st District, Brian Fitzpatrick and Bob Harvie could not agree on terms for a debate.
Iran, Ukraine and a Push for Distance from Washington
Bresnahan used his Iran answers to stake out independence from his party, saying the war must come to an end and arguing a country that says “Death to America” should never have a nuclear weapon, per the Times Leader. He also criticized a Russian diesel purchase, according to the Inquirer's reporting on the debate. On Ukraine, Bresnahan said he supports the country and favors a diplomatic resolution to the years-long conflict, the Times Leader reported.
Cognetti pushed back on Bresnahan's record on the issue, criticizing his votes against war powers resolutions concerning Iran. Both candidates, per the Inquirer's account, tried to frame themselves as willing to break from their own parties — a dynamic that echoed survey results showing voters in the district trust Cognetti more than Bresnahan on foreign wars, data centers and AI, and corruption, while giving Bresnahan a one-point edge on immigration.
Data Centers, Medicaid and a Disputed Ad Claim
Bresnahan said during the debate that communities should have the loudest voice in whether data centers get built in their towns, the Times Leader reported. That exchange arrived days after a fact-check from thetimes-tribune.com found a Cognetti campaign ad claiming Bresnahan voted for $83 billion in data-center giveaways was false, noting the One Big Beautiful Bill he supported did not designate any tax breaks or subsidies specific to data centers.
Medicaid proved just as contentious. Cognetti has accused Bresnahan of voting for the One Big Beautiful Bill while reportedly selling stocks in companies that manage Medicaid enrollees, an allegation tied to reported stock sales rather than a confirmed finding. Bresnahan has not responded to the specific claim that he sold $130,000 in Medicaid provider stocks, and the underlying sale itself is disputed. He has pointed instead to his own legislative record, including introducing what wnep.com describes as the TRUST Act, legislation that would ban stock trading for members of Congress and their families. Cognetti, for her part, said she would take on corruption among both parties and ban congressional stock trading herself, while also opposing the Medicaid cuts contained in the bill.
Immigration, Crime and Dueling Scranton Records
On immigration, Cognetti broke with some in her own party, saying Joe Biden failed at the border and arguing it is now secure under Trump, while also criticizing the Democratic Party's broader approach to the issue. She called for comprehensive immigration reform with clear pathways to citizenship for contributing immigrants and said enforcement should not alienate people or make them feel less safe. She also voiced support for voter identification requirements and for eliminating taxes on tips and overtime, positions that put some daylight between her and national Democratic messaging.
Crime in Scranton became a pointed back-and-forth. Bresnahan accused Cognetti of overseeing rising violent crime rates during her tenure as mayor, a post she has held since 2020. Cognetti countered that his statistics were cherry-picked and pointed to her administration's work fighting crime and supporting police, as well as efforts to pull the city out of its financially distressed status and weed out corruption. WVIA has reported that crime actually declined in Scranton during her tenure, according to the station's own account cited by the Times Leader.
Money, Polling and a Five-Day Sprint to Election Day
The financial stakes behind the debate are steep. Cognetti's campaign had raised about $7.5 million during the 2025-2026 cycle through Oct. 14, compared with Bresnahan's $6.5 million, according to whyy.org. Bresnahan, however, held more cash on hand — about $733,000 compared with Cognetti's $244,000 — heading into the campaign's final stretch.
Polling has consistently shown Cognetti with a narrow edge. An Inquirer/New York Times/Siena poll found her leading Bresnahan 51% to 46% among likely voters, while an Emerson College survey conducted Oct. 12-14 showed her ahead 52% to 48% among 396 likely voters, according to fox56.com. That outlet noted the Siena poll's five-point margin fell within its reported margin of error of about 5.8 points.
Election forecasters remain split on how to characterize the race. The Cook Political Report still calls it a toss-up — one of three it has identified in Pennsylvania, according to WHYY. Bresnahan, who defeated Democrat Matt Cartwright in 2024, tries to hold the seat Republicans only recently flipped.
