Paige Cognetti Targets AI Data Centers in Pennsylvania House Race Against Rob Bresnahan
Democrat Paige Cognetti is putting AI data centers at the center of her campaign against Republican Rep. Rob Bresnahan in Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District, turning a local infrastructure fight into a House battleground issue.
Cognetti, the mayor of Scranton, launched a new TV ad saying northeastern Pennsylvania communities are “not for sale” as data center projects draw opposition over electricity costs, water use, tax breaks, secrecy, and local zoning authority. The Associated Press reported the initial ad buy is about $200,000 over two weeks across broadcast, cable, and digital platforms.
The ad’s political force comes from where it is airing. PA-08 is a competitive seat, and Cook Political Report currently lists the race as a Toss Up with a Republican partisan lean in the district.
Cognetti’s message is aimed at voters who may see data centers less as abstract AI infrastructure and more as projects that could affect utility bills, water demand, land use, public subsidies, and local jobs.
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Bresnahan has also moved to claim local-control ground. In June, he introduced the Local Control Protection Act, which his office said would curb large corporations’ ability to sue local governments over rejected data center applications. GovInfo bill text says H.R. 9262 would protect local zoning authority and require community benefit agreements as a condition for certain federal tax incentives.
That creates the central tension. Cognetti is using data centers as an argument against Bresnahan and Big Tech influence. Bresnahan is trying to show he is not aligned with developers over local communities.
Social reaction is visible but not yet overwhelming. PBS NewsHour, NBC Philadelphia, and local outlets amplified the AP story, while Pennsylvania-focused Reddit discussions show data center development has already become a live political issue in the state.
The next test is whether the ad shifts the race from a standard partisan contest into a referendum on who controls the region’s next wave of industrial development.
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