‘The devil is everywhere’: U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson stumps for U.S. Rep. Scott Perry as PA-10 battle intensifies

With the midterm elections less than a week away, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson traveled to Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional District on Wednesday to stump for U.S. Rep. Scott Perry and tout the Republican Party’s achievements in Washington.  

The GOP leader said he expects Republicans to defy expectations in next week’s elections, and laid out the stakes of the midstate election in stark terms, labeling Democrats as left-wing radicals and framing the race as “a contrast between common sense and crazy.”

“We are going to be fighting to defend the American way – to hold the republic, to keep it and pass it along to our children and grandchildren,” Johnson said Wednesday night. “There is nobody better suited for this. There is nobody better prepared to defend and fight for Pennsylvania's 10th District, and for all of America, than General Scott Perry” (Perry is a retired brigadier general in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard).

Johnson lauded the tax cuts in Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act, President Donald Trump’s signature domestic tax legislation, and said the megabill has brought significant tax relief to Pennsylvanians, including seniors and business owners. Johnson also noted that the bill included $193 million for rural healthcare in the state, as well as the creation of Trump Accounts, which are individual retirement accounts for eligible children in the United States. 

With Republicans expected to face strong headwinds in next week’s contests, Johnson made a bold prediction: “We’re going to defy the polls. We’re going to defy the pundits. We are going to hold the majority in the House,” he said. 

Johnson’s visit came at a crucial moment in the battle for the 10th Congressional District, with public polls showing an increasingly tight race between Perry, who has represented Central Pennsylvania since 2013, and Democratic challenger Janelle Stelson. 

Joining Johnson at the Linglestown rally were House Energy & Commerce Committee Chair Brett Guthrie, House Homeland Security Committee Chair Andrew Garbarino, and U.S. Rep. Jimmy Petronis of Florida. 

State and local Republican officials were also in attendance at the American Legion Post 272 in Linglestown, including Republican state Reps. George Margetas and Joe Kerwin, as well as state Sen. Greg Rothman, the chair of the Pennsylvania Republican Party. 

Kerwin said the 10th Congressional District race will have nationwide consequences. 

“This midterm election will probably be one of the most important elections that we vote in, because it’s going to determine the future of our nation,” Kerwin said during the rally. “Our district, the 10th Congressional District, is going to determine who gets to write that future: us, or the radical Democrats.” 

The most recent poll from The New York Times, Philadelphia Inquirer and Siena University showed Perry and Stelson deadlocked at 48%. 

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report currently has the race rated “Lean Democrat,” as does Sabato’s Crystal Ball.

Perry and Stelson faced off on Oct. 14 in the only debate of the election cycle, in which the two candidates sparred over the economy, the war in Iran and healthcare policy, among other topics. 

Stelson previously ran against Perry in 2024, losing in the general election by 5,133 votes. She told City & State in an interview that her top priorities in Congress would be making life more affordable, improving access to health care and ending the war in Iran. 

In a statement ahead of Perry’s rally with Johnson, Pennsylvania Democratic Party Chair Eugene DePasquale said the speaker visited the 10th Congressional District “to try and save Scott Perry’s desperate, flailing campaign.”

“Central Pennsylvanians are sick and tired of Perry putting an extreme agenda ahead of his constituents’ needs – and in six days, Central Pennsylvanians are going to reject them once and for all when they send Janelle Stelson to Congress.”

Perry didn’t quite see things that way. Speaking to more than 200 supporters in attendance, he echoed Johnson’s comments about the contrast between Republicans and Democrats. 

“We are in a battle for the soul of our nation,” he said. “We’re going to have to turn to our left and our right, look behind us, lock arms together, and save our country together. We’re going to have to do it together. The other side is after us. The devil is everywhere – and you can see it in the things they’re (Democrats) talking about.”

“Back in the day, it’s not that long ago, we fought the communists, we fought the socialists … Now they’re running for office in our country, ladies and gentlemen. This is our country,” Perry added. “We don’t have to fight with each other. We don’t even have to argue with each other. 

“All we have to do is make sure that our voice is heard,” he added. “Gently do that by making sure that your ballot is in and counted. That’s how we change things in America. That’s how we keep us on the right track.”