MAGA Congressman’s Seat “Creeping Into Swing-District”

U.S. Representative Scott Perry (R-PA), a member of the House Freedom Caucus and 2020 election denier, is running for re-election in Pennsylvania’s 10th congressional district, formerly a solid-red district that was redrawn in 2018.

As Harrisburg-based pollster James Lee told The New York Times, “Perry’s seat is definitely creeping its way into the swing-district category.” (The Times cites Cook Political Report data concluding that the 10th is now a merely “lean Republican” district.)

[Note: Perry played a role in trying to push lawyer Jeffrey Clark to becoming attorney general in an effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in favor of former President Donald Trump. Perry has reportedly had to redirect approximately $327,000 in campaign donations this past year toward legal fees relating to his role in the 2020 election.]

Perry is running against popular local TV journalist Janelle Stelson (a longtime anchor on NBC affiliate WGAL), a former registered Republican who won in a crowded Democratic primary.

Stelson, who is campaigning as a centrist, benefits from the Democratic Party’s reserved $2.4 million to buy TV ads in the Harrisburg area.

In addition to her popularity and her new party’s financial backing, Stelson also has the advantage of knowing her opponent and his political tactics: as a TV anchor, she has twice moderated Perry in debates — in 2018 and 2020.

Above is the full 2018 debate between incumbent Perry and Democratic challenger, pastor George Scott, in the race for Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional District. Note at the 37-minute mark when asked about equal pay for equal work, Stelson asks Perry, “You’re a three-term congressman, have you worked on this issue yet?”

Note: In his response, Perry referred to The SKILLS Act (passed by the House in 2013), which “seeks to consolidate, reform and modernize the maze of federal workforce training programs and help millions of unemployed Americans get back to work.”