‘Game on’: Janelle Stelson advances to general election rematch against Scott Perry

Democratic congressional candidate Janelle Stelson will face U.S. Rep. Scott Perry this November in a rematch of their 2024 race, when Stelson came within roughly 5,000 votes of unseating the Republican incumbent. 

Stelson defeated Dauphin County Commissioners Chair Justin Douglas in the 10th Congressional District Democratic primary on Tuesday, clearing the way for another general election race against the former chair of the House Freedom Caucus. 

The Associated Press called the race for Stelson at 8:51 p.m. on Tuesday. With 41% of precincts reporting on election night, Stelson led Douglas by a 74% to 26% margin, per the AP.

The 10th Congressional District Democratic nominee quickly zeroed in on Perry, saying his votes in Congress have hurt residents of the 10th Congressional District. She vowed to bring new leadership to PA-10, stating: “Our community is ready for change.”

“The story of Congressman Scott Perry just keeps getting worse,” Stelson said in a statement on Tuesday night. “He has spent 14 years in Washington casting extreme votes that have hurt our community and made everything from gas to groceries to health care more expensive. I respect Commissioner Douglas for his commitment to defeating Scott Perry and look forward to working with him and others in our community to unseat Perry and deliver change.”

Perry had two words for Stelson after the race was called in her favor: “Game on.”

“The more things change, the more liberals remain the same,” Perry said in a statement. “Tonight, they nominated the same carpetbagging, racist, tax hiker we defeated less than two years ago. The People of south central Pennsylvania want a leader to fight for them and their values in Congress, and that’s what I’ve done every day that I’ve had the honor to represent the 10th Congressional District.”

Perry touted his vote on President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which he said “lowered the tax burden” on 10th Congressional District residents. “The difference between me and Janelle Stelson couldn’t be clearer,” Perry added. “Over the next five-plus months, I look forward to a vigorous General Election campaign. I hope my opponent will join me in debating the issues that will impact the future of south central Pennsylvania and our Nation. I’m ready; I sure hope she is.”

In the 2024 general election, Perry defeated Stelson 50.6% to 49.4% – a margin of 5,133 votes. 

This time around, the nonpartisan Cook Political Report has the 10th Congressional District rated as a “toss-up” in 2026, as does Sabato’s Crystal Ball, a project of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales, meanwhile, rates the district as “tilt Republican.”

Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin weighed in on Stelson’s 10th Congressional District primary win, saying the former news anchor will fight back against GOP policies in Washington. “Democrats have the momentum to flip this seat blue, and the DNC will organize and mobilize voters until Election Day to elect a fighter for Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional District,” Martin said. 

Joe Gruters, the chair of the Republican National Committee, said he believes this year’s election will yield the same result as 2024 – a Perry victory in November.

“Janelle Stelson already failed to convince Pennsylvanians to send her to Congress, and it’ll be no different this November,” Gruters said in a statement. “Stelson is a far-left radical and a carpetbagger who is woefully out-of-touch with the values of Pennsylvania’s 10th District.”

Throughout the primary campaign, Stelson remained laser-focused on Perry: “He’s a seven-term congressman – and Scott Perry continues to vote to hurt us, not help us,” Stelson told City & State in an interview. 

Stelson amassed support from some of the state’s most prominent Democrats upon entering the 10th Congressional District race last year. Gov. Josh Shapiro and Lt. Gov. Austin Davis both endorsed Stelson early on, and she also picked up support from Central Pennsylvania state legislators, the Dauphin County Democratic Committee, and a wide range of labor unions.

Since launching her campaign, Stelson has looked to link Perry to President Donald Trump’s tariffs and gas prices that have spiked due to the ongoing war in Iraq. 

This cycle, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee added Stelson to its “Red To Blue” program, which provides fundraising and organizational support to Democratic candidates.

The former television news anchor held a significant fundraising advantage over Douglas throughout the primary campaign. Stelson raised more than $2.4 million in the first four months of the year and finished April with $3,349,267 in cash on hand. Douglas, meanwhile, raised a little over $53,000 between January and April, and finished April with $10,594 on hand.

Stelson expressed confidence that she will emerge from November’s matchup with Perry as the winner, underscoring her focus on making life more affordable, improving access to healthcare and fighting corruption in Washington, D.C.

“As a TV news anchor, my job was to hold the powerful accountable and listen to people,” she said. “That is exactly the kind of leadership I will bring to Congress when we defeat Scott Perry in November.”