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“Scott Perry embodies the chaos, dysfunction, and extremism that have sadly been the hallmarks of the Republican-controlled 118th Congress. His conspiracy theories, radical policy agenda, and insistence that he is above the law have made him incapable of delivering for Central Pennsylvania. As a broadcast journalist, Janelle Stelson has spent years speaking directly to her neighbors and isn’t afraid to call out Perry’s dangerous extremism. While Perry continues to embarrass his constituents, Stelson is more than prepared to be the voice working families in Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional district deserve,” said DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene.
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To: Interested Parties
From: Aidan Johnson
Date: April 23, 2024
Subject: The Case Against Scott Perry
As the ringleader of the chaos caucus, Scott Perry has spent his career in Congress creating dysfunction and playing politics with Pennsylvanians’ livelihoods. He has attempted to undermine our democracy, ban abortion nationwide, outlaw IVF, gut Social Security and Medicare, defund our law enforcement, and repeal the Affordable Care Act.
Perry personifies what’s broken with today’s Congress. When he doesn’t get his way, he threatens to shut down the critical programs that help millions of Pennsylvanians. Just last month he told fellow Republicans to vote against the government funding package — which provided increased support for border security — because it would give Democrats something to “run on.”
Perry’s number one priority is preserving his political power, not the needs of his constituents. In the lead up to the deadly January 6th insurrection, he played a “direct role” in the effort to overturn the will of the voters.
In the nearly four decades Janelle Stelson has spent reporting on behalf of her community, Pennsylvanians have trusted her to tell the truth, trusted her to shine a bright light on their problems, and trusted her to get the answers. Whether she was sitting down with small business owners, riding along with local law enforcement, or covering the rising cost of housing and health care, she has told the stories of countless families across the district. Now, she’s running to restore common sense leadership and to continue being a voice for Central Pennsylvania, this time in the halls of Congress.
Perry Is A Threat To Democracy
Alongside Donald Trump, Scott Perry played a “direct role” in the effort to subvert the will of voters in Central Pennsylvania. He participated in “Stop the Steal” rallies and was a key player in Trump’s plot to oust the acting Attorney General in order to overturn Georgia’s presidential election results. Perry spread unfounded claims regarding the election, joined a lawsuit aimed at invalidating millions of votes, and opposed certifying the election in his own commonwealth.
After Perry’s phone was seized by the FBI in connection to his efforts to reverse the 2020 election, previously undisclosed text messages detailed “an extraordinary web of communications” between Perry and key figures in the deadly insurrection. Perry “served as a go-between” for the White House and Trump’s DOJ official Jeffrey Clark — who allegedly proposed sending the military out to quash potential protests if the election was overturned, an effort Perry was behind.
Since the deadly attack on the nation’s Capitol, Perry has downplayed the events of January 6th, continuing to falsely claim no insurrectionist was armed and opposing a vote to honor the law enforcement who gave their life to protect our democratic institutions. Perry has even continued to use taxpayer dollars to rent two district offices from an insurrectionist who was arrested last year for attacking police officers with a flagpole on January 6th.
Perry Supports Banning Abortion Nationwide
Scott Perry has been one of the most fervent anti-choice extremists in Congress, waging an all out war on women’s fundamental freedoms. After the Dobbs decision, Perry celebrated the end of Roe v. Wade, calling it a “monumental victory.” Since then, he has supported a near total national abortion ban that has no exceptions for rape or incest. Perry even championed an effort to block the military from reimbursing travel expenses for service members seeking reproductive care.
In another instance, Perry voted for legislation that would prevent women from receiving mifepristone through the mail or at pharmacies. Currently, the exact same issue is before the U.S. Supreme Court and polling shows 72% of Americans — including half of Republicans — support a women’s right to obtain this safe medication from their doctor or clinic.
Democrats in Pennsylvania have trounced anti-choice extremists in recent elections. For instance, during the PA Supreme Court election last fall which was largely run on reproductive freedom, 251,884 more people voted for the Democratic Supreme Court candidate in 2023 than voted at all in 2021.
Perry Backs Outlawing IVF and Other Fertility Treatments
Families across Central Pennsylvania rely on fertility treatments to start or grow their families, which makes Scott Perry’s effort to outlaw IVF nationwide all the more damning. Following backlash from the Alabama Supreme Court ruling restricting IVF, Perry tried to hide behind hollow statements, but his legislative record speaks for itself.
Perry is an original co-sponsor of legislation that would impose similar restrictions on IVF and fertility treatments as the Alabama Supreme Court ruling. These repeated efforts to strip reproductive freedoms from his constituents have thrust him into vulnerable political terrain. A whopping 86% of Americans believe IVF should be legal for women trying to get pregnant.
Perry Puts Politics Over Protecting Pennsylvanians
It’s easy to get lost in the mayhem that follows Scott Perry around like a black cloud. Sham impeachment hearings, State of the Union stunts, fear-mongering interviews, and the ongoing legal battles get most of the attention, but his extremist voting record deserves more scrutiny.
When it comes to protecting our veterans and service members:
When it comes to protecting our law enforcement and first responders:
When it comes to protecting our communities:
When it comes to protecting our workers and the union way of life:
Time and time again, Perry has been the lone member of the Pennsylvania delegation to stand in the way of broad bipartisan legislation that protects service members, veterans, law enforcement, first responders, middle-class families, and blue-collar workers. He has been ranked the least bipartisan member of Congress from Pennsylvania and one of the least bipartisan members of Congress in the country. His inability and unwillingness to work with all but the most extreme of his colleagues has rendered him completely ineffective at delivering for his constituents in Congress, an institution that requires compromise, collaboration, persuasion, and negotiation.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
CNN: Scott Perry’s texts reveal details about efforts to overturn Trump’s loss in 2020 [CNN, 11/30/23]
The Washington Post: Democrats hope IVF issue might topple key Republican in Pa. swing seat [The Washington Post, 3/10/24]
The Philadelphia Inquirer: Central Pa. news anchor Janelle Stelson is running for Congress in Democratic primary to challenge U.S. Rep. Scott Perry [The Philadelphia Inquirer, 10/4/23]
The Pennsylvania Capital-Star: Veterans’ assistance program passes U.S. House, with Pa. U.S. Rep. Scott Perry voting against [The Pennsylvania Capital-Star, 12/13/23]
The York County Dispatch: Campaign disclosures show U.S. Rep. Scott Perry spent $265,000 on legal fees [The York County Dispatch, 2/8/24]
The Pennsylvania Capital-Star: Black lung benefits should be easier for coal miners to access, lawmakers and advocates say [The Penn Capital Star, 12/14/23]
PoliticsPA: “CPR says that Stelson could be Perry’s strongest opponent yet, given her name recognition […] that in mind, the ratings group made its move.” [PoliticsPA, 12/13/23]
WGAL: Janelle Stelson seeks Democratic primary win for 10th Congressional District [WGAL, 4/19/24]
PATH TO VICTORY
In 2024, voters in Central Pennsylvania are motivated to make this term Scott Perry’s last. The vulnerable extremist is currently in a weaker political position than ever before. As Lauren Boebert’s election demonstrated last cycle, voters have grown weary of Members who prioritize political stunts and extremist rhetoric over delivering for their communities. Last cycle, PA-10 rejected extremist Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano by a 12-point margin demonstrating that a candidate like Perry can be beaten.
Not only does Perry have one of the most extreme voting records in Congress, the anti-choice, election denying conspiracy theorist is in a dire financial situation. Perry’s role in planning the effort to overturn the 2020 election continues to cost him – this time to the tune of over $325,000 in legal fees. This has left him “financially and legally weaker” with less than $525,000 in his campaign coffers. Polling of registered voters shows Perry with an anemic job approval rating of 34% positive and 49% negative. Election analysts have even named him Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable Republican incumbent.
Democrats spent less than $50,000 in his district last cycle, but this year he is facing Janelle Stelson — a formidable candidate and proven fundraiser with strong name ID. Janelle is widely regarded as Perry’s “strongest opponent yet” and has nonpartisan analysts upgrading the competitiveness of PA-10, stating, “News Anchor’s Bid Against Perry Moves PA-10 from Likely to Lean Republican.”
To add insult to injury, the district is trending away from him. During the 2023 off-year election, Democrats flipped control of the Dauphin County Board of Commissioners and swept competitive school board races, including in York County which went for Trump by 24 points. Compared to the last off-year election, a notably greater share of voters in PA-10 chose Democrats over Republicans and the district saw a 4.9-point (44.2% to 49.1%) shift towards Democrats.
The alarm bells are going off for Scott Perry because his dangerous extremism has finally caught up with him. Central Pennsylvanians will reject him this November and elect Janelle Stelson to be a rational, bipartisan voice in Congress they can take pride in.
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