Cartwright leading Bognet in battle for 8th Congressional District seat

Nov. 9—WILKES-BARRE — At press time, incumbent Democrat Matt Cartwright was leading Republican challenger Jim Bognet in the 8th Congressional District race.

Cartwright, 61 of Moosic, is seeking his sixth 2-year term in the House of Representatives. This is the second time Bognet, 47 of Hazle Township, has challenged Cartwright, losing the first time in 2020.

According to unofficial and incomplete results, Cartwright had tallied 144,547 votes to 137,945 for Bognet.

The Cartwright campaign issued a statement:

"As the Congressman said tonight, our campaign is feeling optimistic from the returns we have seen so far, but there are still votes to be counted. We are proud of the race we have run and look forward to providing further comment when appropriate."

During the campaign, Cartwright he has brought millions of federal dollars to the district and he said it is also important to create innovative jobs focused on the future by expanding local access to degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

Bognet said that too many families have seen their sons and daughters leave NEPA because they couldn't find good jobs. HE said he is committed to changing that, adding that Pennsylvania has the opportunity to power the entire East Coast with the natural gas in our commonwealth. He said energy and manufacturing would bring good jobs with good wages to the region.

On the issue of right to life/abortion, Bognet said during the campaign that he has always been pro-life with three exceptions: the life of the mother, rape, and incest.

Cartwright said the recent decision by the United States Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade reversed a 50-year precedent that guaranteed a woman's constitutional right to an abortion. He said in a post-Roe world, it is absolutely crucial that elected officials at all levels of government side with the rights of women over extremism.

Cartwright said he has spent his time in Congress as a consensus builder, consistently putting forth common sense ideas that have attracted the support of both Republicans and Democrats regardless of which party controlled Congress, or if a Democrat or Republican was in the White House.

Bognet said inflation is out of control, the economy is "in a ditch," and the nation is at a crossroads. He said Pennsylvania needs an independent voice in Washington during this perilous time.

Bognet said inflation is due to President Biden's American Rescue Plan Act and other big Democratic speeding bills that Cartwright voted for 100% of the time.

Cartwright said inflation is a problem driven in part by a global supply chain overwhelmed by a rush of demand for consumer goods as we get past the effects of COVID-19. It is also caused by the greed of big oil companies looking to fatten their bottom lines by overcharging.

Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.