FILE - Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., chair of the House Freedom Caucus, speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, July 14, 2023. A federal judge is ordering Republican Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania to turn over more than 1,600 texts and emails to FBI agents investigating efforts to keep President Donald Trump in office after his 2020 election loss and illegally block the transfer of power to Democrat Joe Biden. The ruling, late Monday, came more than a year after Perry’s personal cellphone was seized by federal authorities. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)
As the democracy reporter for WITF, I will cover any kind of story that has to do with how we govern ourselves. That will include doing a lot of election coverage about how to access the ballot, how public officials administer elections, the technology used to run and secure elections, and the laws that govern it all.
My work will also include accountability coverage for elected officials that use their positions to then undermine democratic institutions, like the legislators that voted against the certification of the presidential election results on January 6, 2021. If that weren’t enough, I foresee covering some local government decisions, fights over public records and transparency, and some candidate coverage in 2024. Many stories can have a “democracy frame” meant to help us all understand how our governments work and how we can shape them.
I’m most looking forward to the community reporting about which WITF is passionate. I’ll be talking to a lot of folks about what they want out of their governments, local to national, and how they want to make their visions reality. I’m excited to meet you and talk, with or without a microphone on hand.
I also like to turn my work phone off. When I do that, I’m looking for rocks to climb, trails to run on (slower and slower, somehow), and new places to visit. I’ve lived in the (extended) South for most of my life, so y’all will hear me say things funny and sometimes my hearing is funny, too, so we’ll figure out this radio thing together.
FILE - Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., chair of the House Freedom Caucus, speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, July 14, 2023. A federal judge is ordering Republican Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania to turn over more than 1,600 texts and emails to FBI agents investigating efforts to keep President Donald Trump in office after his 2020 election loss and illegally block the transfer of power to Democrat Joe Biden. The ruling, late Monday, came more than a year after Perry’s personal cellphone was seized by federal authorities. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)
Update: This story was updated on Nov. 7 shortly after publication to include a statement from Rep. Scott Perry. The story was updated again on Nov. 8 at 12:41 p.m. with a statement from Janelle Stelson.
Congressman Scott Perry, the incumbent Republican who has represented a portion of central Pennsylvania since 2013, won a narrow victory over Democratic challenger Janelle Stelson. One day after the Associated Press projected Perry to win, Stelson formally conceded the race.
With 99% of votes reported, Perry is leading by more than 6,000 votes out of 400,500 cast.
Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional District covers Dauphin County and large swaths of Cumberland and York.
“First and foremost, I extend my heartfelt thanks to God, and my family, friends, and Voters who supported me in more ways than I can express,” Perry said in a statement released by his campaign. “I’m excited to help President Trump implement his America First agenda, and I am honored and humbled to serve by your side, and the People of south central Pennsylvania.”
Perry, a retired U.S. Army National Guard brigadier general, served in the Pennsylvania legislature for six years before running for Congress in 2012. He easily won election until 2018, when the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled his district was part of a gerrymandered map and redrew its lines.
That year, in the newly created 10th District, Perry won by just over two points, far less than the 30-point margin he enjoyed in 2016.
But Democrats have never been able to close the gap. In 2020, Perry defeated Eugene DePasquale, the state Auditor General, by six points. Two years later, Perry won again, after supporting president-elect Donald Trump’s effort to overturn his presidential elections, beating Shamaine Daniels by five points.
Stelson, a former TV news anchor at WGAL with wide name recognition across the region, proved Perry’s toughest challenge to date.
“Since day one, my campaign has been about bringing people together from across the political spectrum to uplift a message focused on reforming a broken Washington, keeping communities safe and prosperous and protecting our fundamental freedoms,” Stelson said in a statement from her campaign. “The results are not what we wanted but I respect our democratic process and the will of the voters.”
A former Republican who lived outside the district’s border, Stelson ran to the right of the Democratic Party platform on immigration, matching the Republican policy of mass deportation for undocumented immigrants.
Her campaign sought to use Perry’s voting history against him while painting herself as a political newcomer who would listen to the people. And she attacked Perry for supporting a bill to ban abortion nationwide.
A Franklin & Marshall College poll released in June showed Perry leading Stelson among registered voters, 45% to 44%, with 11% undecided.
In political ads and campaign stops, Perry focused on his personal story of growing up poor. He translated his story of knowing the value of money into a policy position of fiscal conservatism.
He opposed federal programs to pay for services like special healthcare consideration for military members who served near burn pits and firefighters exposed to certain classes of chemicals.
Perry supported the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, signed into law by then-president Donald Trump, which increased the federal deficit. Perry supports renewing those cuts, which are set to expire in 2025, which is again projected to increase the federal deficit.
In addition to winning the White House, Republicans have won control of the U.S. Senate. Though the U.S. House remains undecided, Republicans are on track to retain a slim majority, which would give the party unified control in Washington, likely backed by the conservative U.S. Supreme Court majority.
At the state level, Pennsylvania Republicans retain control of the Senate, with control of the state House coming down to two races.
All Pennsylvania counties are expected, per state law, to provide unofficial but final vote counts on Nov. 19, though all are expected to finish sooner. Then, counties have to conduct two audits of vote totals before issuing final certification by November 25.
After counties certify, laws dictate the state will review and do the same, pending recounts, and the governor will appoint presidential electors to the Electoral College. Those electors will cast their votes on December 17, the U.S. Congress will count those votes on January 6, and Donald Trump will be inaugurated on January 20.
