Matt Cartwright (D-Pa.), a six-term member of the United States House of Representatives and 1986 University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School graduate, lost his reelection campaign against Rob Bresnahan.
Bresnahan's victory by nearly two percentage points above Cartwright brings an end to the incumbent's tenure in Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District, representing Scranton and nearby suburbs. It also pushes Republicans closer to retaining control of the U.S. House, as the GOP is currently projected to win 213 of the 218 seats necessary to do so.
Cartwright first joined Congress in 2013. His district, located in the northeastern corner of the Commonwealth, had long been considered a top target for the GOP — with Cartwright among just a handful of Democrats running for reelection in areas won by 1968 Wharton graduate and President-elect Donald Trump in 2020.
Cartwright's loss shrinks the small contingent of Penn alumni serving in Congress — of which there are seven, all in the U.S. House of Representatives. A second Penn alumnus, 1985 Wharton MBA graduate David Trone (D-Md.) did not seek reelection to the house after losing in the Democratic primary for Maryland's open Senate seat.
1999 College and Wharton graduate David Min is currently in an uncalled race for election in California's 45th Congressional District.
“I know this is not the result we hoped for, but it has been the honor of my life to serve our community in Congress,” Cartwright wrote in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Cartwright's background as an attorney and community volunteer underscored his appeal to voters during his initial campaign 2012. His 2024 reelection campaign proved more challenging, however, as he faced a GOP-backed opponent that seized on voter discontent over economic and border security issues.
Bresnahan’s win reflects shifting voter priorities in the historically blue-collar region of northeastern Pennsylvania.
Bresnahan became the chief financial officer of his family’s construction company, founded by his grandparents, while still in college. He focused his campaign on tying Cartwright to inflation and undocumented immigration, arguing that Cartwright’s support for current President Joe Biden's administration’s policies had hurt local workers.
Bresnahan, a 34 year-old, also emphasized his youth in contrast to 63-year-old Cartwright.
Despite Cartwright’s significant fundraising edge, in which he raised over $8 million to Bresnahan’s $3.3 million, outside spending helped even the odds. GOP-aligned groups poured $11 million into Bresnahan’s campaign, surpassing the $9.1 million in outside support Cartwright received.
Bresnahan’s victory comes alongside another key GOP victory in the House in Philadelphia's suburbs. Republican Ryan Mackenzie defeated three-term incumbent Democratic Rep. Susan Wild (D-Pa.), who represented Allentown and much of the Lehigh Valley.
Wild’s seat was a top target of the National Republican Congressional Committee in the GOP bid to maintain its majority in the House.
“There is no sugarcoating it: this is a bitterly disappointing outcome,” Wild wrote in a statement posted on X.
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