'Paige against the machine': How a Democrat who bucked her party is now targeting a swing House district

[Omaha Steve]

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Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti speaks during a campaign event for President Joe Biden in Scranton, Pennsylvania, on April 16, 2024. Matt Rourke/AP/File

https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/20/politics/paige-cognetti-pennsylvania-8th-district

By Arit John

In 2019, Paige Cognetti launched her campaign for mayor of Scranton, where the incumbent had resigned from office before pleading guilty to federal corruption charges.

Wary of the county Democratic Party’s closed nominating process, she ran as an independent. That fall, she found herself in a courtroom with her rivals as county Democratic leaders sought to have the special election reclassified, potentially booting her and three other candidates off the ballot.

“To sit there in a courtroom and have the local Democrats trying to essentially rig the election, it made me realize how right I was, that we needed to step up,” Cognetti told CNN.

The challenge to her bid failed, and Cognetti went on to become the first woman elected mayor of Scranton.

FULL story at link above.

[róisín_dubh]

1. I met her last year

She spoke at an event for my nephew’s school art program. My sister adores her. Let’s see what she can do