Democratic Rep. Matt Cartwright faces off against Trump-endorsed Republican Jim Bognet in Pennsylvania's 8th Congressional District election
- Rep. Matt Cartwright is running against Republican Jim Bognet in Pennsylvania's 8th Congressional District.
- The 8th District encompasses parts of Luzerne County, a predominantly white, working-class area in eastern Pennsylvania.
Five-term Democratic Rep. Matt Cartwright faces off against Republican Jim Bognet in Pennsylvania's 8th Congressional District.
Pennsylvania's 8th Congressional District candidates
Cartwright is a member of the House Committee on Appropriations. In 2012, Cartwright defeated 10-term incumbent Rep. Tim Holden — Pennsylvania's longest-serving congressman — in the Democrat primary election. Prior to his time in Congress, the now-61-year-old congressman worked as an attorney for 25 years.
In 2020, Cartwright won a 5th term, defeating Bognet by a narrow margin of 3.6 percentage points. His victory came even when former President Trump carried the district against President Joe Biden. As a result, Cartwright became one of seven Democratic incumbents to win despite Trump prevailing over Biden in their districts.
Bognet, Cartwright's two-time challenger, is a former Trump administration appointee in the Export-Import Bank. He secured the endorsement of Trump in May.
"Jim served in my Administration and helped bring manufacturing jobs back to Northeast Pennsylvania. In Congress, he will fight to Grow our Economy, Build the Wall, Defend the Second Amendment, and Support our Brave Military, Vets and Law Enforcement," Trump said in his endorsement.
Voting history for Pennsylvania's 8th Congressional District
Pennsylvania's 8th Congressional District includes parts of Luzerne County, a predominantly white, working-class area in eastern Pennsylvania. It also encompasses Scranton, the largest city in northeastern Pennsylvania and where Biden was born.
Trump had a 4 percentage point margin of victory over President Biden under the district's previous boundaries in 2020 before it was redrawn to take in more of Monroe County in redistricting following the 2020 Census, making it slightly less Republican.
The money race
According to OpenSecrets, Cartwright has raised $4.9 million, spent $4.7 million, and has $386,695 of cash on hand, as of October 19. His opponent, Bognet, has raised $2.4 million, spent $2.2 million, and has $411,717 of cash still left to spend, as of October 19.
As of early November, super PACs, national party committees, and other non-candidate groups have spent about $12.8 million to adv0cate for or against the candidates.
What experts say
The race between Cartwright and Bognet is rated as a "toss-up" by Inside Elections, a "toss-up" by The Cook Political Report, and a "toss-up" by Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics.