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A Democratic candidate is facing scrutiny over an apparent reversal on the southern border as she seeks to flip a battleground House seat this year.
Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti recently criticized former President Joe Biden’s handling of the southern border, calling it “a huge misstep” and “really terrible” during a March podcast appearance.
The House hopeful, however, did not appear to publicly criticize the administration’s border policies when Biden was president.
Cognetti, who has served as the mayor of Biden’s hometown since 2020, is vying to unseat freshman Rep. Rob Bresnahan in November’s midterm elections. The Northeastern Pennsylvania contest promises to be one of the most competitive House elections this year.
JAMES TALARICO SAYS BIDEN ADMINISTRATION WAS CONVINCED BORDER SECURITY WAS ‘RACIST’
Former President Joe Biden speaks to a crowd during a fundraising event with the South Carolina Democratic Party at the Columbia Museum of Art on February 27, 2026 in Columbia, South Carolina. The event marked the sixth anniversary of Biden’s presidential primary win in the early voting state of South Carolina. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
Cognetti’s recent messaging criticizing Biden comes as some Democrats have largely pivoted toward the center on border security after the party’s messaging fell flat in 2024.
When Cognetti called for “better control at our borders” during a September 2021 interview with a local outlet, she did not appear to hold the Biden administration responsible for the problem.
In August 2023, Cognetti co-signed a letter with a handful of Pennsylvania mayors appearing to approve of the Biden administration’s approach to the border.
“You are working to bring more order to the southern border with a combination of strategies,” the group wrote to Biden, adding that he had “rightfully promised” to tie border security with expanding pathways to citizenship for illegal immigrants living in the…
