Pennsylvania's 8th Congressional District

Pennsylvania's 8th Congressional District is represented by Robert Bresnahan (Republican), who has held the seat since 2025. Bresnahan has an overall VoteSee report card grade of C, voted in 99% of roll-call votes on bills this Congress, and votes with the Republican majority 94% of the time. The district includes Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, and Hazleton. It takes in all or part of 5 counties; the most populous parts are in Luzerne County and Lackawanna County. About 769,000 people live in the district, and the median household income is $67,979.

Current Representative

Robert Bresnahan (Republican) has represented Pennsylvania's 8th Congressional District since 2025.

• VoteSee report card grade: C
• Attendance in the 119th Congress: 99% of roll-call votes on bills
• Votes with the Republican majority: 94%

See Robert Bresnahan's full voting record and issue positions →

2026 Election

U.S. House: Pennsylvania 8th District

Winner: Paige Cognetti.

Incumbent Rob Bresnahan is running for re-election. 2 candidates were on the Nov 3, 2026 ballot.

• Rob Bresnahan (Republican), incumbent: raised $6.5M, $733K cash on hand; VoteSee report card C; 99% attendance; votes with the Republican majority 94% of the time
• Paige Cognetti (Democratic): raised $7.5M, $244K cash on hand

Polls

Poll average: Paige Cognetti 50.7%, Rob Bresnahan 46.7%. Simple average of 3 polls that ended Oct 10, 2026 – Nov 9, 2026, each pollster's latest (likely voters when it reports both).

Pollster	Dates	Sample	Cognetti	Bresnahan
RedBox Research (D)	Oct 20, 2026 – Oct 23, 2026	696 LV	49%	46%
New York Times/The Philadelphia Inquirer/Siena University	Oct 16, 2026 – Oct 22, 2026	400 LV	51%	46%
Emerson College	Oct 12, 2026 – Oct 14, 2026	396 LV	52%	48%
Lake Research Partners (D)	Jun 18, 2026 – Jun 23, 2026	400 V	47%	45%
Impact Research (D)	Jun 8, 2026 – Jun 11, 2026	500 LV	46%	45%
Public Policy Polling (D)	Aug 27, 2025 – Aug 28, 2025	615 V	45%	43%

Polls compiled from Wikipedia; see each pollster for full results.

See the full 2026 race →

District Demographics

• Population: 768,757
• Median household income: $67,979
• Median age: 43
• Median home value: $213,300
• Bachelor's degree or higher: 27.4%

Source: American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates, 119th Congress boundaries.

How Bresnahan Voted Recently

• Not Voting on American Enrichment Deployment Act (Nov 9, 2026) — Passed
• Not Voting on Nuclear REFUEL (Recycling Efficient Fuels Utilizing Expedited Licensing) Act (Nov 9, 2026) — Passed
• Yea on Retire through Ownership Act (Sep 16, 2026) — Passed
• Yea on Water Resources Development Act of 2026 (Sep 16, 2026) — Passed
• Yea on Ratepayer Protection Act (Sep 16, 2026) — Passed

Breaks with the Republican majority

• No on National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027 (Jul 22, 2026) — Failed
• No on National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2027 (Jul 15, 2026) — Failed
• Yea on Faster Labor Contracts Act (Jun 9, 2026) — Passed

Who Held This Seat Before

Members of Congress who previously represented Pennsylvania's 8th Congressional District. District lines are redrawn after each census, so earlier members may have represented a different area under this number.

• Matt Cartwright — Democrat (2019–2025)
• Brian Fitzpatrick — Republican (2017–2019)
• Michael Fitzpatrick — Republican (2011–2017)
• Patrick Murphy — Democrat (2007–2011)
• Michael Fitzpatrick — Republican (2005–2007)
• Jim Greenwood — Republican (1993–2005)
• Peter Kostmayer — Democrat (1983–1993)
• James Coyne — Republican (1981–1983)
• Peter Kostmayer — Democrat (1977–1981)
• Edward Biester — Republican (1967–1977)
• Willard Curtin — Republican (1957–1967)
• Karl King — Republican (1951–1957)

Where the District Is

Pennsylvania's 8th Congressional District covers 2,769 square miles of land. Boundaries are for the current (119th) Congress.

Counties

• Luzerne County (part): 37% of residents
• Lackawanna County: 28% of residents
• Monroe County (part): 20% of residents
• Pike County: 8% of residents
• Wayne County: 7% of residents

Largest communities

• Scranton
• Wilkes-Barre
• Hazleton
• Dunmore
• Kingston
• Mountain Top
• Nanticoke
• East Stroudsburg

Neighboring Districts

• Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District — Ryan Mackenzie (Republican)
• Pennsylvania's 9th Congressional District — Daniel Meuser (Republican)
• New Jersey's 5th Congressional District — Josh Gottheimer (Democrat)
• New Jersey's 7th Congressional District — Thomas Kean (Republican)
• New York's 18th Congressional District — Patrick Ryan (Democrat)
• New York's 19th Congressional District — Josh Riley (Democrat)

Pennsylvania's U.S. Senators

• John Fetterman — Democrat, senior senator
• Dave McCormick — Republican, junior senator

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