Janelle Stelson hugs her staff at a campaign party in York, Pa., on May 19, 2026.
Jordan Wilkie / WITF News
Janelle Stelson wins Pa.’s 10th Congressional District’s Democratic primary
Stelson will face incumbent Republican Congressman Scott Perry this fall.
-
Jordan Wilkie/WITF
Jordan Wilkie / WITF News
Janelle Stelson hugs her staff at a campaign party in York, Pa., on May 19, 2026.
Note: This story was updated on Wednesday, May 20, with a statement from Rep. Scott Perry.
Former television news anchor Janelle Stelson won the Democratic primary against Dauphin County Commissioner Justin Douglas. Early unofficial results show her winning with three-quarters of the vote.
She now gears up to face incumbent Republican Congressman Scott Perry in the fall. Perry won his primary unopposed.
In her victory speech, Stelson attacked Perry’s voting history and tied him to unpopular policies from President Donald Trump’s administration.
“He voted for the tariffs that are driving up the prices,” Stelson said. “He voted to strip millions of Americans of their healthcare.”
That’s in reference to Perry’s vote not to renew subsidies under the Affordable Care Act.
Stelson also made a series of promises in her speech Tuesday night. She said she would repeal Trump’s tariffs, make healthcare affordable, and fight corruption in Washington.
“I’m gonna protect your Social Security, Medicare, a woman’s right to choose,” Stelson added.
Her campaign staff said Stelson wants to protect healthcare programs against cuts, though said she likely meant to refer to Medicaid. Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, which Perry supported, made significant cuts to federal support for the taxpayer-funded healthcare program serving about 80 million low-income people.
To advance their policy goals, Democrats need to win majorities in the House and Senate. Both parties see Pennsylvania’s 10th district as key to maintaining, or winning, a majority in the U.S. House. The district includes all of Dauphin County with large sections of Cumberland and York counties.
In 2024, Perry beat Stelson by just over 5,000 votes, his narrowest victory in 12 years in office. Both candidates have raised over $4.4 million so far, according to Federal Election Commission data from the end of April. Going into the general election, Stelson has $3.3 million in cash on hand compared to Perry’s $2.2 million.
In a statement released Wednesday morning, Perry attacked Stelson’s character, calling her a carpetbagger and a racist. Stelson worked in local TV news in Central Pennsylvania for 30 years. She owns a home just over the line into the 11th District and now rents a home in Cumberland County within the 10th District, which is where she registered to vote. The racism accusation comes from a clip of on-air banter at the end of a news broadcast when Stelson made a joke about Asian people eating cats, a broad and dated stereotype that has long been used to demean people of Asian descent.
These attacks are likely meant to divide Democratic voters, according to Berwood Yost, who leads public opinion polling at Franklin & Marshall College.
Perry himself has been criticized for antisemitic and xenophobic statements several times in recent years. As reported by other news outlets, Perry has shared an antisemitic meme, made comparisons between Democratic Party and Nazi policies and leadership, made comments seemingly in partial support of the “great replacement theory” which experts say is a tool for antisemitic and xenophobic political messaging, and said “the KKK is the military wing of the Democratic Party.”
In 2024, Perry made inaccurate statements attempting to tie neo-Nazis that marched in Harrisburg to left-wing policies. At the time, WITF reported that other local elected officials condemned the neo-Nazis, which researchers say is a key step in preventing political violence.
Just after 10 p.m. Tuesday night, Douglas conceded the race and told his supporters that their efforts in the primary still had an impact.
“You showed up for your values — values that are worth fighting for,” Douglas said at his campaign event in Harrisburg.
In Pennsylvania, results are unofficial by law for three weeks. In that time, election officials count provisional ballots, overseas and military ballots, and perform a series of checks and audits to ensure the vote count is accurate.
Katie Knol contributed to this reporting.
Produced with assistance from the Public Media Journalists Association Editor Corps funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.
A collection of interviews, photos, and music videos, featuring local musicians who have stopped by the WITF performance studio to share a little discussion and sound. Produced by WITF’s Joe Ulrich.
