HARRISBURG, Pa. — Political newcomer Janelle Stelson sees herself as House Democrats’ best chance at defeating conservative stalwart Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.).
Stelson, a longtime central Pennsylvania news anchor, has a high name ID in the 10th District and is touting her journalism background to try to convince voters she has a grasp on local issues.
Part of Stelson’s pitch is warning voters that Perry, the former chair of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus, is out-of-touch and too radical for the district.
“In the past 38 years, I’ve been the trusted nonpartisan voice in everyone’s living rooms,” Stelson said in an interview. “[Perry is] a career politician. He’s everything that’s wrong with Washington. I have a fresh perspective.”
On paper, Stelson is running a boilerplate Democratic campaign. She’s hit Perry on abortion, democracy issues and has expressed her desire to be a bipartisan member of Congress. She’s stuck to talking about key issues like health care and the economy.
But unlike previous cycles, where Perry’s actually improved his margins against his challengers, Stelson said there’s an environmental shift this year that is giving Democrats running in tough districts a boost.
And there are some signs that this R+5 seat will be competitive this year. Since Stelson announced her candidacy, the Cook Political Report moved Perry’s race from “likely Republican” to “lean Republican” in December.
Stelson has also smoked Perry on fundraising. She brought in an impressive $2.7 million in Q3.
The New Democrat Coalition’s campaign arm and New Dem individual member contributions have given nearly $50,000 to Stelson this cycle, per the group’s spokesperson. Stelson also got $1,000 from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus’ BOLD PAC over the summer.
Perry hasn’t filed his Q3 report yet. Perry currently has over $788,000 cash on hand as of June 30.
The DCCC viewpoint: DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene highlighted the PA-10 race as a top pickup opportunity for Democrats, defending the campaign committee’s investments in the hard-to-flip district.
“We put money there,” DelBene said of the race. “We have a great candidate and we have a Republican incumbent who is much more extreme than that district. Janelle is going to govern and focus on the needs of the community.”
House Majority PAC, the Democratic leadership-affiliated group, is up with a new ad hitting Perry on abortion. The ad accuses Perry of being “front and center” in the fight to restrict all abortions, citing his repeated co-sponsorship of the Life at Conception Act.
Still, Perry has done better in every race since 2018. Unlike other candidates in competitive races, Perry has unapologetically refused to moderate his conservative stances, even running ads about how he’s bucked his own party on some issues.
How Republicans respond: The House Freedom Caucus’ political arm has also extensively been messaging on Perry’s race.
And Perry’s campaign dismisses Stelson’s position as a pro-veteran candidate, citing Perry’s service.
Stelson, who has known Perry as a public official for years through the Harrisburg media market, argued his political positions have gotten “worse” since he first came to Congress in 2013. Stelson covered Perry’s first election to the House and moderated his 2020 debate for reelection.
“You can stick to your company line for a minute when you get in these local debates,” Stelson said. “But when you take a little bit longer and go deeper, you see exactly who he is.”
Stelson and Perry will debate one another tonight in Harrisburg.
