Robert Paul Bresnahan Jr. ( ; born April 22, 1990) is an American politician and businessman serving as the

United States representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

for

Pennsylvania's 8th congressional district Pennsylvania's 8th congressional district is located in the Northeastern Pennsylvania, northeastern region of the state. It encompasses all of Wayne County, Pennsylvania, Wayne, Pike County, Pennsylvania, Pike, and Lackawanna County, Pennsylvani ...

since 2025. He is a member of the Republican Party. He defeated incumbent

Matt Cartwright Matthew Alton Cartwright (born May 1, 1961) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2013 to 2025. The district includes a large swath of northeastern Pennsylvania, anchored by Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, ...

in the 2024 election. He took office on January 3, 2025.

Early life and education

Bresnahan was born on April 22, 1990, in

Kingston, Pennsylvania Kingston is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located on the western bank of the Susquehanna River opposite Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, Wilkes-Barre. Kingston was first settled in the early 17 ...

. He grew up in

Wyoming, Pennsylvania Wyoming is a borough in the Greater Pittston area of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located north of Wilkes-Barre, along the Susquehanna River. The population was 3,097 as of the 2020 census. Etymology The name "Wyoming" ...

, and attended

Wyoming Seminary Wyoming Seminary, founded in 1844, is a Methodist college preparatory school located in the Wyoming Valley of Northeastern Pennsylvania. The "Lower School," which consists of preschool to eighth-grade students, is located in Forty Fort. The "Up ...

. Bresnahan studied business at the

University of Scranton The University of Scranton is a private Jesuit university in Scranton, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1888 by William O'Hara, the first Bishop of Scranton, as St. Thomas College. In 1938, the college was elevated to university status and took ...

and was on the golf team.

Early career

At the age of 19, Bresnahan became the chief financial officer of his grandfather's highway electrical business, Kuharchik Construction in Exeter, Pennsylvania. After graduating from the

, Bresnahan took over as CEO in 2013. In 2023, Bresnahan partnered Kuharchik Construction with Midwestern Electric near Chicago, Illinois. Bresnahan is the owner of RPB Ventures, a real estate development company. The bulk of Bresnahan's real estate projects are on and around Main Street in

Pittston, Pennsylvania Pittston is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city lies in the Wyoming Valley on the east side of the Susquehanna River and on the south side of the Lackawanna River. It is approximately midway between Wilkes-Barre, Pen ...

. Bresnahan has served on a number of voluntary boards in Northeastern Pennsylvania including as interim president of the SPCA of Luzerne County board of directors, past president of Wyoming Rotary Club, and treasurer of the TecBRIDGE board and Automated Vehicle Coalition. He also served on the boards for Junior Achievement of NEPA, Big Brothers Big Sisters of NEPA, Luzerne County Industrial Development Authority,

National Electrical Contractors Association The National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) is a trade association in the United States representing the electrical contracting industry through advocacy, education, research, and standards development. History In 1901, at the Pan ...

and IBEW 163. Currently, Bresnahan serves on the boards of the SPCA of Luzerne County, Forty Fort Cemetery Association, and Catholic Youth Center.

United States House of Representatives

Elections

In October 2023, Bresnahan filed to run for the Republican nomination for

. The district includes

Lackawanna County Lackawanna County (; ) is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It had a population of 215,615 in 2022. Its county seat and most populous city is Scranton. The county is part of the Northeast region of the commonwealth. The county was ...

, Wayne County, and Pike County along with the majority of

Luzerne County Luzerne County is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and is water. It is Northeaste ...

and Monroe County in Northeastern Pennsylvania. In the November 2024 general election, Bresnahan defeated incumbent Democrat

Tenure

In May 2025, Bresnahan was one of six House Republicans who voted for a GOP-backed budget bill that included substantial

Medicaid Medicaid is a government program in the United States that provides health insurance for adults and children with limited income and resources. The program is partially funded and primarily managed by U.S. state, state governments, which also h ...

cuts, despite previously pledging to oppose them. The bill also contained tax provisions that could personally benefit Bresnahan, who reported over $137,000 in pass-through income that would be eligible for expanded deductions under Section 199A tax code revisions.

Committee assignments

For the 119th Congress: * Committee on Agriculture ** Subcommittee on Conservation, Research, and Biotechnology ** Subcommittee on Commodity Markets, Digital Assets, and Rural Development * Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure ** Subcommittee on Aviation **

Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly or other form of organization. A committee may not itself be considered to be a form of assembly or a decision-making body. Usually, an assembly o ...

** Subcommittee on Highways and Transit (Vice Chair) * Committee on Small Business ** Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Tax, and Capital Access ** Subcommittee on Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Workforce Development

Personal life

Bresnahan is engaged to Chelsea Strub, a former news anchor and reporter at

WNEP-TV WNEP-TV (channel 16) is a television station licensed to Scranton, Pennsylvania, United States, serving as the ABC affiliate for Northeastern Pennsylvania. Owned by Tegna Inc., the station maintains studios on Montage Mountain Road in Moosic. ...

based in

Moosic, Pennsylvania Moosic ( ) is a borough in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States, south of downtown Scranton and northeast of downtown Wilkes-Barre, on the Lackawanna River. Moosic is in a former coal-mining region. A few older industries existe ...

. In April 2025, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' reported that Bresnahan, who had campaigned on prohibiting stock trading by members of Congress, reported 264 stock trades, purchasing up to $1.7 million in stock since taking office in January 2025, and has sold up to $3.03 million in stocks. His trades during this period included stocks related to fields regulated by the

United States House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure The U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. History The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure was formerly known as the Committee on Public Works ...

, on which he serves, including

Caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder ...

CSX CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Railroad classes, Class I freight railroad company operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Operating about 21,000 route miles () of trac ...

, and

Boeing The Boeing Company, or simply Boeing (), is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product support s ...

Electoral history

References

External links

Campaign website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bresnahan, Rob Living people 1990 births 21st-century members of the United States House of Representatives 21st-century Pennsylvania politicians Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania University of Scranton alumni People from Kingston, Pennsylvania