HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Democrat Janelle Stelson, who lost to Republican U.S. Rep. Scott Perry by barely a percentage point in 2024, will run again in the right-leaning congressional district in Pennsylvania.
Stelson, a one-time local TV anchor and personality, mounted a challenge to Perry, the former leader of the hardline House Freedom Caucus. It was designed to sway moderate Republicans, portraying him as an extremist on abortion rights and slamming Perry's votes against Democratic-penned bills that carried benefits for firefighters and veterans.
"The story about Scott Perry just keeps getting worse," Stelson said in an interview.
Stelson called Perry the “deciding vote” in the House's 218-214 vote on Republicans' tax break and spending cut package that she said would strip Medicaid benefits from thousands of his constituents, possibly shut down rural hospitals and further stretch health care facilities, such as nursing homes.
“This has disastrous, possibly deadly consequences, and Scott Perry did that,” Stelson said.
For his part, Perry is already touting the bill’s provisions to curb billions of dollars in spending across clean energy, cut spending on the safety-net health care program Medicaid and reduce subsidies to states that offer Medicaid coverage to cover immigrants who may not be here legally.
It will, he said in a statement, “end damaging ‘Green New Scam’ subsidies, lock in critical and additional reductions in spending" and ramp up efforts to make sure Medicaid benefits are reserved for “vulnerable Americans and not illegal aliens.”
Perry's campaign, meanwhile, has said that Perry’s fundraising is its strongest since he’s been in Congress, and that the issues that propelled President Donald Trump and Perry to victories in 2024 will still be relevant in 2026.
With Washington, D.C., completely controlled by Republicans, recruiting strong House challengers is of the utmost importance for Democrats. They need to flip just three seats nationwide to retake the House majority they lost in 2022 and block Trump's agenda.
Stelson lost in a damaging 2024 election for the Democratic Party, despite outspending Perry in a race that cost over $24 million, according to FEC filings.
It wasn't one of the most expensive House races in the nation, but Perry's victory of slightly over 1% point made it one of the closest.
Democrats took heart that Perry ran well behind Trump — by 4 points — in a district that is becoming more moderate with Harrisburg's fast-developing suburbs.
Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro won the district in 2022's gubernatorial race, when he blew out his Republican opponent. Shapiro will lead Pennsylvania's ticket again in 2026, and is supporting Stelson by headlining a fundraiser for her in the coming days.
Shapiro's support could ward off a potential primary challenger to Stelson.
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Marc Levy, The Associated Press
