54 Days to Go: Janelle Stelson

Sep 12, 2024

Who: Janelle Stelson

Where: PA-10 (south-central Pennsylvania, including the state capital, Harrisburg)

Why: While this race is a bit more of a long-shot flip for the Dems, the latest polls show it as a dead heat, and the Cook Political Report has moved it from “Likely Republican” to “Lean Republican.”

Janelle Stelson, a former local television news anchor, is a gifted communicator who has moderated debates between six-term Republican Scott Perry and previous opponents. Perry has gifted Stelson an extraordinary amount of material to use against him in her campaign.

Perry is a member of the House Freedom Caucus’ “MAGA” squad and chaired the caucus from 2022 to 2024. He voted against certifying Pennsylvania’s 2020 election results, and the Justice Department ordered him to hand over nearly 1,700 records from his phone as part of its investigation into efforts to overturn the election. He was also one of 21 House members to vote against awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to officers who defended the U.S. Capitol on January 6.

Stelson is eager to take Perry’s place in Washington to protect reproductive rights for the next generation, to dilute the power of special interests (she would ban members of Congress and their families from trading individual stocks) and to lower prescription drug costs (Perry voted against legislation to make insulin more affordable).

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