Tipsheet

Exclusive: Democrat Paige Cognetti Says the U.S. Occupies 'Stolen Land' in Unearthed Video

Joseph Chalfant
Joseph Chalfant  |  July 13, 2026 4:20 PM

An unearthed statement from Democrat Mayor Paige Cognetti, the Scranton leader seeking the PA-08 congressional seat, revealed that she believes that the United States occupies “stolen land.”

The "stolen land" allegation targeting the United States has become particularly prominent in leftist circles in recent years. A common practice within leftist organizations has been to open meetings or events with "land acknowledgements" to list the Native American groups who lived in the area in the previous centuries. The move has become somewhat of a meme online, but persists within the Democrat party today.

Cognetti’s disturbing comment comes as part of a growing trend in the Democrat party of a lack of patriotism. A new poll showed that 71 percent of Republicans fly the American flag daily or on holidays, while two-thirds of Democrats claim that they never fly the flag, aligning with a concerning statistic that shows that only 29 percent of Democrats consider themselves proud to be Americans.

The flourishing anti-American sentiment on the Left could not stand in greater opposition to that of what the Republican party displayed during the America 250 celebrations in early July in the lead up to a spectacular Independence Day, something that Cognetti has had a history of trying to stop.

“If you hate America, you have no business serving in the United States Congress,” RNC spokesperson Kristen Cianci told Townhall. “This video is just further proof that Paige Cognetti will side with the anti-American socialists who have taken over the Democrat Party, and against the values that make America great and empower hardworking Pennsylvanians to achieve the American Dream.”

Cognetti will attempt to unseat Republican incumbent Rep. Rob Bresnahan Jr. in the midterm elections come November.