This is the eighth in our series highlighting the U.S. House of Representatives races in the Commonwealth.

8th Congressional District

Matt Cartwright* (D) | Website | Twitter | Facebook

Age: 61 | Served in Congress since 2013 | BA: Hamilton ’83 | Resides: Moosic

Positions

• develop local energy production
• expanding access to affordable health care for all
• lower the price of prescription drugs and cap insulin costs
• enact legislation to expand addiction counseling and resources
• stronger federal funding for public schools to pay teachers more and prepare students for jobs
• fund veterans’ programs and increase their benefits
• supports a woman’s right to choose and believes these decisions should be made between a woman and her healthcare provider

Jim Bognet (R) | Website | Twitter | Facebook

Age: 47 | BS: Penn State ’97; MBA: UCLA ’03 | Resides: Hazleton

Positions

• cut regulations and support small businesses
• stop the surge of illegal immigration
• fight against the Democrats proposed tax increases and push for lower taxes
• protect Americans with pre-existing conditions, and make sure they are not denied insurance and health care; ensure every American has access to affordable health care
• fight to return freedom and choice in education to parents and students
• ban teaching of Critical Race Theory in schools
• require a strong voter-ID for all ballots, and audit the vote
• fight to protect each American’s right to bear arms
• considers himself anti-abortion except in cases of rape, incest or protecting the mother’s life

Dave Redistricting Partisan Lean: D+2.3 (50.1 – 47.8)

Voter Registration:

• Overall (502,596): D+9.4 (47.1 – 37.7)
  • Lackawanna (145,425): D+23.4 (55.9 – 32.5)
  • Luzerne (173,803): D+10.1 (48.4 – 38.3)
  • Monroe (103,700): D+12.4 (46.1 – 33.7)
  • Pike (44,346): R+14.5 (46.5 – 32.0)
  • Wayne (35,322): R+32.1 (56.9 – 26.8)

2020 Presidential Results: Trump +4.4

2020 Congressional Results: Cartwright d. Bognet, 51.8-48.2%

Current Ratings

• Cook Political Report: Toss-Up
• Five Thirty Eight: Lean D
• Sabato’s Crystal Ball: Toss-Up
• RealClearPolitics: Leans R

Fundraising Q3

Cartwright | Raised: $1,164,913 | Spent: $2,632,708 | Cash on Hand: $1,263,713 | Debts: $242,800

Bognet | Raised: $908,590 | Spent: $797,624 | Cash On Hand: $691,319 | Debts: $34,525

LACKAWANNA, LUZERNE, MONROE, PIKE and WAYNE Counties.
Total population: 764,866

All of LACKAWANNA County; Part of LUZERNE County consisting of the CITIES of Hazleton, Nanticoke, Pittston and Wilkes-Barre and the TOWNSHIPS of Bear Creek, Buck, Butler (PART, Districts 01, 02, 03, 04 and 05 (only blocks 1024, 1025, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2020 of tract 216601 and blocks 1016, 1017, 1024, 1046, 1047, 1049, 1050, 1058, 1059, 1060, 1061, 1062, 1063 and 1064 of tract 216602)), Dallas, Dennison, Exeter, Fairview, Foster, Franklin, Hanover, Hazle, Jackson, Jenkins, Kingston, Newport (PART, Ward 02), Pittston, Plains, Plymouth, Rice, Wilkes-Barre and Wright and the BOROUGHS of Ashley, Avoca, Bear Creek Village, Courtdale, Dupont, Duryea, Edwardsville, Exeter, Forty Fort, Freeland, Harveys Lake, Hughestown, Jeddo, Kingston, Laflin, Larksville, Laurel Run, Luzerne, Nuangola, Penn Lake Park, Plymouth, Pringle, Sugar Notch, Swoyersville, Warrior Run, West Hazleton, West Pittston, West Wyoming, White Haven, Wyoming and Yatesville; Part of MONROE County consisting of the TOWNSHIPS of Barrett, Chestnuthill, Coolbaugh, Hamilton, Jackson, Middle Smithfield, Paradise, Pocono, Price, Ross (only blocks 1000, 1001, 1002, 1003, 1004, 1005, 1006, 1007, 1008, 1009, 1010, 1011, 1012, 1013, 1014, 1015, 1016, 1017, 1018, 1019, 1020, 1021, 1022, 1023, 1024, 1025, 1026, 1027, 1028, 1029, 1030, 1031, 1032, 1033, 1034, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2021, 3001, 3003, 3004, 3005, 4000, 4001, 4002, 4003, 4004, 4005, 4006, 4007, 4009, 4010 and 4011 of tract 301203), Smithfield, Stroud, Tobyhanna and Tunkhannock and the BOROUGHS of Delaware Water Gap, East Stroudsburg, Mount Pocono and Stroudsburg; All of PIKE County and All of WAYNE County.