Paige Cognetti, the mayor of Scranton, is running as the Democratic candidate against freshman Republican Representative Rob Bresnahan in Pennsylvania’s congressional race. The contest is viewed by Democratic Party strategists as one of their strongest opportunities to gain a House seat in the November election, with potential implications for control of the chamber and the ability to block President Donald Trump’s legislative priorities.
Cognetti has launched a television advertisement that criticizes artificial intelligence data center projects, which have become increasingly contentious in the region. The 30-second spot, running on broadcast, cable, and digital platforms at a cost of approximately $200,000 for an initial two-week run, invokes the area’s historical reliance on coal and shale gas industries. Cognetti contends that large corporations have repeatedly extracted resources from the region while leaving behind environmental consequences, and she argues the same pattern is repeating with data center development. Her ad specifically objects to developer confidentiality agreements, tax incentives provided by states, rising electricity costs in the mid-Atlantic region driven by data center energy demands, and labor practices.
Data center opposition has emerged as a significant political issue across the United States, with communities in northeastern Pennsylvania and elsewhere mounting legal challenges to proposed projects. Environmental and infrastructure concerns have extended these local disputes into higher-profile electoral contests. Trump has identified data centers as a national priority to enhance American competitiveness with China in artificial intelligence development.
Bresnahan has introduced the Local Control Protection Act, which he characterizes as a measure to limit corporations’ ability to sue municipalities over zoning decisions that reject data center applications. The legislation, introduced in June, remains in committee without cosponsors. Republicans have designated protecting Bresnahan as a priority, with Trump and Vice President JD Vance visiting the district previously.
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