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Philadelphia Inquirer: Stelson “believes that her work as an Emmy Award-winning journalist who’s covered civic affairs — and has moderated two of Perry’s previous election debates — has grounded her in politics and the way Washington works.”
Scott Perry’s chaos and dysfunction continues to haunt him, with the Philadelphia Inquirer highlighting today how Perry is faltering in the race against Janelle Stelson — a “Republican-turned-Democrat” and “widely recognized” former local news anchor.
As one local organizer put it, “as a 26-year anchorwoman, Janelle is trusted. I’m not hearing much interest in Perry.”
DCCC Spokesperson Aidan Johnson:
“Scott Perry has proven again and again that he is a deeply unproductive and unpopular career politician. With her years of holding politicians accountable, Janelle is the trusted local voice needed in Congress — particularly for a district whose member is constantly in the news for all the wrong reasons.”
Philadelphia Inquirer: Has Rep. Scott Perry met his match in TV anchor Janelle Stelson? The high-stakes election could be ‘flippable’
Alfred Lubrano | August 5, 2024
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Perry, an ally of former President Donald Trump and election denier who tried to halt certification of Pennsylvania’s 2020 electoral votes, is being challenged by centrist Janelle Stelson, a Republican-turned-Democrat and widely recognized, but politically untested, former news anchor for NBC affiliate TV station WGAL.
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The contest is on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s radar. Perry, 63, may be vulnerable in the Central Pennsylvania district, according to national Congressional ratings outlets, and therefore worthy of a nationally financed campaign to help tip the GOP-controlled House into Democratic hands.
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“This is one of a handful of U.S. Congressional seats that Democrats believe are flippable,” said political scientist Sarah Niebler, an election expert at Dickinson College in Carlisle, which is in the 10th Congressional District.
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The big issue for Democrats? “Perry himself,” said Dan Mallinson, a professor of public policy and administration at Penn State Harrisburg.
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Stelson, 64, labeled her rival an “extremist” conspiracy agent of “chaos” and an “insurrectionist” who once headed the far-right House Freedom Caucus and voted to defund the FBI.
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“So far, she’s been fundraising better,” Mallinson said. Campaign finance figures showed that Stelson took in $1.33 million from April 4 to the end of June, while Perry netted $625,000.
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“This could be a tight race, and that extra cash can help Stelson go toe-to-toe with Perry,” Niebler said.
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As of June, Perry and Stelson were in a virtual tie, with Perry slightly up, 45% to 44%, and with 11% undecided, according to a Franklin & Marshall College poll of the 10th district. The region is 44% Republican, 38% Democratic, and 17% unaffiliated or independent.
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While Perry might be “hard to topple,” Mallinson said, his contentious tenure could be a hindrance. The Franklin & Marshall poll shows Perry has a 39% favorable and 41% unfavorable rating in the district.
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“Conversely,” Mallinson said, “there’s no controversy about Stelson.”
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“But she’s got great name recognition,” said Stephanie Robinson, 41, who’s leaving a job organizing voter registration in Harrisburg for a similar one in Virginia “As a 26-year anchorwoman, Jenelle is trusted. I’m not hearing much interest in Perry.”
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In an interview Friday afternoon, Stelson said that while she’s never held office, she believes that her work as an Emmy Award-winning journalist who’s covered civic affairs — and has moderated two of Perry’s previous election debates — has grounded her in politics and the way Washington works.
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And, she added, as a newcomer, “I don’t have the bad record Scott Perry has.”
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Swing voters?
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Balaban said Democrats are hoping that voters have grown tired of Perry’s bombast and are open to a moderate candidate who’s for a woman’s right to choose and who understands what people in the 10th District most care about: unemployment, and higher gas and utility prices, according to the Franklin & Marshall poll.
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Democrats are encouraged that while Trump won the district by 4 percentage points in 2020, Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro took it by 12 points in 2022.
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“That’s a lot of Republicans who walked into voting booths and said, ‘I’m not a locked into one party,’” Balaban said. “There could be some swing voters, especially in an area of transition.”
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While Dauphin County, home to Harrisburg, is Democratic, both York and Cumberland counties are mostly Republican. But Cumberland is changing, with a larger and more diverse population, as well as increasing numbers of suburbanites who work in government and the medical community.
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As for immigration, Stelson said that both parties “botched the border” with ideas that haven’t worked.
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She criticized Perry and other Republicans for opposing a package negotiated by President Joe Biden that would have tied increased border security to aid to Ukraine and Israel. Trump opposed the package.
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Stelson said Perry and other Republicans chose to “scuttle the bipartisan deal that would have provided increased support for border security,” so that Trump could use the issue in the election.
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