SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — The eyes of the political world are once again on northeastern Pennsylvania as the race for the Eighth Congressional District Seat is already heating up.
The midterm elections are more than a year out, but the seat held by Republican Rob Bresnahan is seen as one that could influence the balance of power in Congress. On Tuesday, a top area Democrat threw her name into the ring.
Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti announced Tuesday morning that she will challenge freshman Congressman Rob Bresnahan.
She will still be on the November ballot for re-election as Mayor of Scranton.
The war of words between the two candidates is already heating up.
"I'm running for Mayor. I'll be on the ballot in November. Still a lot of work left to do here in Scranton. But I'm also taking a hard look at the Eighth Congressional District," Mayor Cognetti said.
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That's what Mayor Cognetti told 28/22 News last week at a public event in South Scranton.
On Tuesday, a video for the congressional campaign was released. She will challenge Rob Bresnahan.
The Bresnahan campaign fired back, releasing a lengthy statement:
Paige Cognetti launching a vanity campaign for Congress while still running for a new term as Scranton Mayor tells you everything you need to know about her priorities.
Mayor Cognetti is a far-left extremist who has backed a radical agenda, from open borders and eliminating Medicaid to force everyone into government-run health care, to defunding the police, banning fracking, and even supporting taxpayer-funded sex change operations for illegal immigrants.
We look forward to putting a spotlight on her extreme and dangerous positions, which are completely out of step with Northeastern Pennsylvania, where President Trump won by nearly 10 points.
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Voters 28/22 News spoke with had mixed opinions on whether she should run for Congress while at the same time running for mayor of Scranton.
"Well, think it's good if she doesn't forget about Scranton. There are a lot of things that need to be done here in Scranton," Scranton resident Donna Ammenhauser told 28/22 News.
"Do you think someone who holds a public office already should have their sights on, on another public office, another elected office?" 28/22 News I-Team Reporter Andy Mehalshick asked.
"I want to say no. I want to say, 'What is loyalty, what is consistency, what is commitment,'" Martin Schofield from Scranton replied.
28/22 News reached out to both Bresnahan and Cognetti for comment or an interview on Tuesday and was told they were unavailable for comment.
Mayor Cognetti, in a social media post, told Scranton residents that she wanted to be honest with them about why she was running for Congress.
Should she win another term as mayor and then win in the congressional race, a special election would be held to fill the mayor's seat.
