Here's how Harris wins the swing state of Pennsylvania

Scranton’s first female mayor has lessons for the presidential hopeful, ahead of her visit to the must-win state this week

- RICHARD HALL

When Paige Cognetti first ran to become mayor of Scranton, she was told she couldn’t win because she did not have an Irish last name. She also had to overcome the fact that no woman had held the position in the city’s history.

Her victory in a special election in 2019, and again two years later, was seen by many as a sign of shifting tides. “There were a lot of factors against me,” she says over coffee at Abe’s Deli, in the centre of the town. “But I think it was pretty clear that the city needed a change candidate,” she adds.

Kamala Harris visits the area on Friday to try to win over the same kind of voters that helped Cognetti win in this key city in the swing state of Pennsylvania, just a month after Donald Trump came here hoping to do the same. It is no exaggeration to say that her path to the White House runs through these streets.

There may be lessons in Cognetti’s story for the Harris campaign. The challenges that Cognetti faced then in trying to win in Scranton are similar to those that Harris faces now. “When you run for office, especially as a woman, any number of people will try to convince you not to. Whether it’s questioning your gender, your heritage, your race, or your experience, some folks will attempt to tear you down so that you either don’t run or lack confidence while you do,” Cognetti says.

“We are seeing this in real-time with people second-guessing and nitpicking VP Harris while giving a pass to Trump as he continues to implode,” she adds. That second-guessing has been particularly prominent in Scranton.

Joe Biden was born here in the city and he used the story of his difficult upbringing to win those kinds of voters across the state. It enabled him to connect with white working-class voters that Trump captured so comprehensively in 2016, and pull away just enough to win him the White House. Today a main street that runs through the centre of the town is named after him.