In Pennsylvania House race, it’s pink heels vs. drag queens

In the Pennsylvania House race, a heated debate has erupted over drag culture, pitting Democratic candidate Paige Cognetti against Republican incumbent Rob Bresnahan. The conflict ignited with the unveiling of a photo featuring the mayor and a drag queen at Scranton's Pride flag raising in 2025. The tension escalated when Bresnahan's opponents unearthed a charity video of him exercising in heels, which they mistakenly interpreted as campaign material for a breast cancer awareness event.

The Republican Party, spearheaded by the National Republican Congressional Committee, launched a new television advertisement on August 12, 2025, featuring Cognetti alongside drag queen Frank Carey. Dubbed "pink heels vs. drag queens," the ad aimed to portray Cognetti as a supporter of radical transgender groups. The ad's slogan echoed the 2024 Trump campaign's approach, focusing on perceived conflicts between "they/them" pronouns and "you."

Cognetti's campaign did not address the ad directly, while Bresnahan's team claimed the image had been presented in "the context of Cognetti's true liberal agenda." Democrats were quick to condemn the ad, arguing that Bresnahan was demonizing drag queens in a political context, despite having no issues with them as citizens. Republicans, on the other hand, have been successfully reiterating their messaging from 2024, with one GOP-backed group praising Bresnahan for allegedly preventing the use of taxpayer funds for sex-change operations.

However, this stance appears inconsistent when considering Bresnahan's involvement with LGBTQ-friendly organizations, such as the KISS Theatre Company, and his own appearances in drag. The GOP's position seems to hinge on the distinction between public and private appearances, emphasizing Cognetti's alleged transgressions when drag culture is presented to children, while downplaying the more family-friendly aspects of Carey's drag persona.