Citing Commitment to Lower Cost of Caregiving, Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy PAC Endorses Paige Cognetti for Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District

WASHINGTON – Today, the Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy PAC (CFFE PAC) announced its endorsement of Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti in her bid to represent Pennsylvania’s 8th congressional district, a key pickup opportunity for Democrats in what will be one of the most closely watched races in the country.

This endorsement reflects CFFE PAC's commitment to electing candidates who will make life more affordable by tackling the crippling cost of caregiving through investments in affordable child and elder care and paid family and medical leave. Securing a Democratic House majority is an essential first step to passing these policies to reduce the cost of caregiving. CFFE PAC has a field office in PA-8 and plans to spend millions of dollars this cycle to elect Democrats up and down the ballot, including Paige Cognetti.

“In Mayor Paige Cognetti, we have a critical opportunity to elect a leader who has fought to strengthen her community and make life more affordable for working people,” said Sondra Goldschein, Executive Director of the Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy PAC. “Mayor Cognetti understands that families cannot get ahead when the cost of caring for your children and loved ones keeps rising. She will champion policies that make child care, elder care, and health care affordable so families don't have to choose between their loved ones and their financial security.”

“I was eight months pregnant when I was first elected Mayor of Scranton and sworn into office just two weeks after giving birth. I will never forget what it felt like to walk into City Hall on my first day on the job, carrying the weight of a new job and a newborn baby. I understand the constant pull of work and family because I live it every day,” said Paige Cognetti. “Families in Northeastern Pennsylvania are already struggling with rising costs. They need access to care without breaking the bank or sacrificing their livelihoods. The U.S. remains the only advanced economy in the world without guaranteed paid family leave. That’s why I will fight for practical, compassionate solutions in Congress to help working parents, small businesses, and municipalities across Northeastern Pennsylvania.”

Throughout her career in public service, Mayor Paige Cognetti worked to bolster Scranton's economy and improve the lives of working families. Under her leadership, the city emerged from 30 years of financial distress, secured investments to revitalize downtown, and helped create new economic opportunities for residents and local businesses. Using funding from the American Rescue Plan, Cognetti allocated $1.5 million to support affordable child care options and expand educational opportunities for children. In Congress, Cognetti will continue fighting for policies that lower costs, create good-paying jobs, and make it easier for Pennsylvania families to get ahead.

In contrast, Cognetti’s opponent, Republican Rep. Rob Bresnahan, has repeatedly ignored the interests of his constituents. Instead of fighting to make life more affordable, Bresnahan backed Trump's trade wars that increased the cost of everyday essentials and supported the war in Iran, driving up gas prices for Pennsylvanians. He also voted to strip health care from more than 208,000 constituents who rely on Medicaid and food assistance from nearly 146,000 constituents who rely on SNAP. Before doing so, Bresnahan sold his stock in Medicaid providers – protecting his bottom line, while working families paid the price.

Across the state, voters support kitchen-table economic solutions that will lower the cost of caregiving. Just 17% of Pennsylvanians report a positive view of the Trump administration’s handling of inflation, demonstrating the urgency of sending leaders like Paige Cognetti to the U.S. House to continue championing the needs of working families.

Separate from its electoral work, CFFE PAC’s sister organization, the Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy, launched Affordable Pennsylvania last year, focused on holding elected officials in three Pennsylvania districts, including PA-8, accountable after they promised to stand with working families and lower costs but instead cast vote after vote that neglected the needs of their constituents. Affordable Pennsylvania spent more than $2.1 million in organizing and a paid media campaign, elevating the stories of local families to urge officials like Rep. Bresnahan to reverse course and focus on making life more affordable.

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The Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy PAC works to elect candidates who believe all people should be able to afford to care for themselves and their loved ones. Since 2015, we have run some of the largest electoral programs in battleground states to support candidates that are fighting for policies like paid family and medical leave and quality, affordable child care, elder care and health care. We know how to effectively communicate about high costs and the economy in the way people actually think about it – emphasizing who is committed to lowering costs, and who isn’t. We use this insight to reach voters at the scale needed to have an impact, building support for candidates up and down the ballot who are committed to lowering the cost of caregiving.