Scranton

Dem Mayor Running for Congress Posed with Crips-Linked Lounge Operators Months After Scranton Detective Shooting

Scranton Mayor and congressional candidate Paige Cognetti (D-PA) promoted a violence intervention program involving a “safe space” for people who had entered the justice system or were recently coming out of it after a gang-related shooting wounded a city detective, months after photos were posted showing her with operators of a Crips-linked hookah lounge that authorities had repeatedly associated with criminal activity.

Mayor of Scranton Paige Cognetti speaks during an election night watch party for Sen. Bob

Exclusive — NRCC: Paige Cognetti’s PA Congressional Run Complicated by Simultaneous Mayoral Campaign, Series of Local Scandals

Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti’s (D-PA) decision to pursue a seat in Congress while simultaneously seeking — and ultimately winning — re-election as mayor on November 4, 2025, has raised concerns across Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District where she continues to campaign to unseat freshman GOP Rep. Rob Bresnahan in 2026.

Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti speaks during Pa. Gov. Josh Shapiro's visit to Scranton on F