Paige Cognetti (née Gebhardt; born August 27, 1980) is an American politician serving since 2020 as mayor of Scranton, Pennsylvania. She is the first woman to be mayor of the city and won her seat in a special election. A member of the Democratic Party, she ran her first Scranton mayoral campaign as an independent. She is the Democratic nominee for Pennsylvania's 8th congressional district in 2026.
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Early life and career
Cognetti was born in Eugene, Oregon. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Oregon with a Bachelor of Arts in English literature and Romance languages, and earned a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.
After graduating, she worked as an English teacher in Japan through the JET Programme. She was a fundraiser for Hillary Clinton's and Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaigns and served as an advisor at the U.S. Department of the Treasury in Obama's first term.
Cognetti was appointed to the Scranton School Board in 2017, but resigned in December 2018 to become a special assistant to Pennsylvania's state auditor, Eugene DePasquale. While serving on the board, she criticized no-bid school bus contracts and unapproved payments to contractors.
Mayor of Scranton
Elections
Cognetti ran in the 2019 special election to finish the term of Scranton mayor Bill Courtright, who had pleaded guilty to corruption charges earlier that year. She ran as an independent after she deemed the local Democratic Party's closed caucus system undemocratic. Her campaign emphasized investments in local businesses, education, and infrastructure. She won the special election with 36% of the vote.
In 2021, Cognetti ran as a Democrat for a full term and defeated her Republican opponent, 72.5% to 23.4%.
Tenure
During Cognetti's tenure as mayor, Scranton completed its exit from Pennsylvania's Act 47 financial distress program and improved its bond rating, allowing the city to reduce reliance on short-term borrowing. Her administration undertook infrastructure and public works projects, including investments in stormwater systems and parks, demolition of hazardous structures, and upgrades to municipal signage.
The city's housing stock expanded, while the administration implemented initiatives to modernize municipal operations and improve service efficiency. Downtown redevelopment also continued during this period, accompanied by increased construction activity across the city.
In 2024, President Joe Biden appointed Cognetti to the United States Trade Representative's Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations.
2026 U.S. House campaign
On September 2, 2025, Cognetti announced her candidacy for Pennsylvania's 8th congressional district in 2026, aiming to unseat Republican incumbent Representative Rob Bresnahan. Cognetti is running on an anti-corruption platform, criticizing Bresnahan for his stock trading since becoming a member of Congress.
Personal life
She is married to Ryan Cognetti and has two children.