Decision Desk HQ projected Democrat Paige Cognetti the winner of Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District at 9:00 p.m. EST, the first major House call of the evening.
Cognetti, the mayor of Scranton, defeated one-term Republican incumbent Rob Bresnahan in the northeastern Pennsylvania seat that Bresnahan flipped from Democrat Matt Cartwright in 2024.
Decision Desk HQ projects Paige Cognetti wins the PA US House 8 General Election#DecisionMade: 9:00 PM EST
Follow live results here: https://t.co/io4WKqfJhk pic.twitter.com/XKwX1p2beo
— Decision Desk HQ (@DecisionDeskHQ) November 4, 2026
The race had been rated a toss-up by multiple forecasters in the final weeks, with Cognetti consistently leading in late public polling.
Early returns in other GOP-held seats also showed Democratic leads with significant votes still outstanding as of 9 p.m. EST.
In New Jersey’s 2nd District, Democrat Zack Mullock led longtime Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew 60.7 percent to 38.5 percent with roughly 34 percent of the expected vote reported.
Van Drew, who switched parties after winning as a Democrat in 2018, had been favored by most ratings organizations, though the seat had drawn late Democratic attention and a visit from New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill.
In Pennsylvania’s 1st District, Bucks County Commissioner Bob Harvie led moderate Republican incumbent Brian Fitzpatrick 67.2 percent to 32.8 percent with about 23 percent in.
Fitzpatrick has represented the suburban Philadelphia seat since 2017 and has long been viewed as one of the House’s more independent Republicans.
Cook Political Report moved the race into its toss-up column in the final days.
In the open South Carolina 1st District vacated by Rep. Nancy Mace, Democrat Nancy Lacore, a retired Navy vice admiral, led Republican Jenny Costa Honeycutt 52.9 percent to 45.6 percent with roughly 53 percent of the vote counted.
The seat had been rated lean or likely Republican for much of the cycle before shifting to toss-up status.
Democrats need a net gain of only a few seats to flip the chamber, and several of the races showing Democratic leads Tuesday night had been on the DCCC’s target list for months.
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