Janelle Stelson works toward a November rematch with Scott Perry

After falling just shy of unseating U.S. Rep. Scott Perry in 2024, Janelle Stelson is hoping that another run for PA-10 – and a favorable midterm election cycle – will yield different results this year. 

Stelson is a familiar face in Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional District. She was a longtime news anchor for the central Pennsylvania TV station WGAL before setting her sights on Congress two years ago. Now, with an election cycle under her belt and support from the highest levels of the Democratic Party, Stelson is aiming to bring fresh energy to a seat she believes hasn’t been representative of the people in its district. 

“I’m looking forward to being the kind of representative who communicates with people and has strong constituent services – people know what they’re getting from Washington, know what their taxpayer dollars are doing, know that they have somebody who’s going to fight for them every step of the way,” she told City & State in an interview. 

Despite having an opponent in this year’s Democratic primary – Dauphin County Commissioners Chair Justin Douglas – Stelson has been firmly focused on Perry since launching her campaign in July 2025. 

“Fourteen years in Congress – he’s a seven-term congressman, and Scott Perry continues to vote to hurt us, not help us,” she says. 

She frequently points to Perry’s position on extending Affordable Care Act subsidies, noting that he called it a “colossal mistake” in a September 2025 Newsweek op-ed that Perry co-signed along with National Taxpayers Union President Pete Sepp and other members of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Upon entering the race, Stelson quickly earned an endorsement from Gov. Josh Shapiro. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee also added Stelson to its “Red To Blue” program, which provides fundraising and organizational support to Democratic candidates.

Douglas has called for Stelson to debate him ahead of the May 19 primary, but Stelson has largely opted not to engage with her Democratic primary opponent. There’s currently no public polling on the 10th Congressional District primary race, though prediction markets have Stelson’s chances of winning the Democratic nomination hovering around 95%. 

Two years after Stelson lost to Perry by just 49.4% to 50.6% – a margin of 5,133 votes, election prognosticators now view the 10th Congressional District as an incredibly competitive district. 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.”

While Stelson has support from the likes of Shapiro, the Dauphin County Democratic Party, labor unions, and an array of state and local elected leaders, she’s also raised millions of dollars for her bid. According to Federal Election Commission data, Stelson raised more than $2.1 million in the first quarter of 2026 and ended the month of April with $3.3 million in cash on hand. 

Stelson says healthcare access and affordability are key priorities for her if elected to Congress. In addition to needling Perry over his position on Affordable Care Act subsidies, she supports allowing the government to negotiate prices to lower the cost of prescription drugs, banning surprise billing and removing medical debt from credit reports, among other reforms. 

Stelson has made affordability central to her 2026 campaign. At a campaign stop outside of a Harrisburg gas station in early April, she criticized Republicans over the ongoing Iran war and its impact on gas prices, and said President Donald Trump’s tariffs are driving up the cost of everyday goods. 

“We talked in 2024 a lot about affordability,” Stelson told City & State. “Now it’s become an affordability crisis. Everybody's concerned about groceries, utilities, the roofs over their heads – and now gas prices because of the war in Iran.” The Democratic candidate has said she would push to repeal Trump’s tariffs if voters send her to Washington.

On the topic of Washington, Stelson believes it’s long past time to pass a slate of reforms, including anti-corruption measures, to reinstate trust in the nation’s institutions. “People are becoming so disengaged with the process,” she said. 

Her anti-corruption agenda includes 12-year term limits, age limits for members of Congress, a ban on members of Congress trading individual stocks, and a prohibition on elected officials and staff buying prediction market contracts tied to government policies and decisions. She has also expressed support for reversing the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision and reining in the president’s pardon power. 

Stelson sees her three-decade career as a journalist as a benefit in Washington, saying she would approach the role with a listen-first attitude that would allow her to accurately and effectively elevate her constituents' concerns.

“I’ve been listening for more than 30 years as a broadcast journalist. I don’t agree with every story, but I always make sure it gets told properly,” she said. “Listening to everybody’s causes, concerns and issues, I used to shine a bright light on them and make other people aware. Now I can take those voices to the halls of Congress – that’s my hope for the future – and make sure the voices are heard and that their issues are dealt with appropriately.”