RESULTS: Democrat Matt Cartwright defeats Jim Bognet in Pennsylvania's 8th Congressional District
- The incumbent Democratic Rep. Matt Cartwright is projected to have won against Jim Bognet in Pennsylvania's 8th Congressional District, Insider and Decision Desk HQ can report.
- Bognet is a former official in the Trump administration who was endorsed by the president's son Donald Trump Jr.
- Cartwright originally represented Pennsylvania's 17th Congressional District before the state's congressional map was redrawn by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in 2018.
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The incumbent Democratic Rep. Matt Cartwright is projected to have won reelection against Jim Bognet in Pennsylvania's 8th Congressional District, Insider and Decision Desk HQ can report.
The candidates
Cartwright has represented Pennsylvania in the House of Representatives since 2013. He originally represented the state's 17th Congressional District before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court redrew the state's districts because of its determination that the previous districts had been inappropriately partisan in design.
He currently represents Pennsylvania's 8th Congressional District. He is also the cochair of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee. Before his time in office, Cartwright worked as lawyer in his own firm, Munley, Munley, and Cartwright.
Bognet, a former official under President Donald Trump, is the managing director of JRB Strategies, a political and public-affairs firm located in Hazleton. He received an endorsement in June from the president's son Donald Trump Jr.
Bognet's platform revolved around Second Amendment rights, combatting illegal immigration, and dealing with the country's opioid epidemic.
The district
Pennsylvania's 8th Congressional District is located in the northeastern region of Pennsylvania and contains all of the counties of Wayne, Pike, and Lackawanna. Portions of Luzerne and Monroe counties are part of the district as well.
The district was redrawn in 2018 following court-ordered redistricting, with the current 8th District encompassing much of the old 17th District.
President Barack Obama won the 8th District under its current lines by nearly 12 points in 2012, according to the Daily Kos, but Trump flipped the current district to carry it by almost 10 percentage points in 2016. The district is also the birthplace of Joe Biden, who Decision Desk HQ on Friday projected would become president-elect.
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The money race
According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Cartwright has raised $3.3 million, has spent $2.5 million, and has $1.2 million in cash on hand. Bognet has raised $1.1 million, spent a little over $713,000, and has about $470,000 on hand.
What the experts said
The race between Cartwright and Bognet was rated as safe Democratic by Inside Elections, likely Democratic by The Cook Political Report, and leans Democratic by Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics.