Images courtesy of Janelle Stelson and Justin Douglas campaigns
Janelle Stelson gets endorsement from Democratic opponent in tight Pa. Congressional race
Justin Douglas, Dauphin County commissioner, endorsed Stelson, who handily won the Democratic primary in May.
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Jordan Wilkie/WITF
Images courtesy of Janelle Stelson and Justin Douglas campaigns
Moderate Democratic candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives, Janelle Stelson, received endorsement from her former primary opponent in Pennsylvania’s 10th congressional district.
Dauphin County Commissioner Justin Douglas’ support comes after he said during the campaign that Stelson would have to earn his endorsement. In a statement posted to social media Wednesday, Douglas said he’s had numerous conversations with Stelson since the primary.
“I believe she will be a partner I can work with for the betterment of Dauphin County and the broader PA-10 community,” Douglas wrote. “I believe she will protect the right to vote, fight for the federal resources our communities need, and work with county and local leaders rather than against us.”
Stelson beat her more progressive Democratic opponent with 67% of the vote in May’s primary.
“I appreciate the Commissioner’s support and will continue working to earn the votes of Republicans, Independents and Democrats across Central Pennsylvania,” Stelson said in an emailed statement. “What unites us all is our shared desire to fix the broken system where Pennsylvanians pay the price for Washington’s corruption.”
Now, Stelson challenges incumbent Republican Scott Perry, who has represented the area since 2013 and has beaten Democratic challengers in competitive races since 2018. That includes beating Stelson in 2024 by just under 1.3% of the vote. This year, the 10th district is one of three toss-up U.S. House seats in Pennsylvania and is the most expensive congressional race in the state.
Douglas contrasted Stelson’s policy platform with Perry’s voting and political record, including his support for President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election and for Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which made significant cuts to taxes and social services.
Douglas still holds influence with some progressive independents and members of the party. Several commented on the social post and said they would now support Stelson.
It’s difficult to measure how important Douglas’ endorsement is for Stelson’s chances at success, but it certainly helps the campaign’s messaging, according to Berwood Yost, director of public opinion polling at Franklin & Marshall College.
Republicans make up 43% of Pennsylvania’s 10th district voters, compared to 37% Democrats and 20% independents. All of Dauphin County and sizable parts of Cumberland and York counties are included in the district.
To win the district, Stelson likely needs unified support from Democrats and to win the balance of support from independent voters, Yost said. The registration margins are close enough that she wouldn’t need to draw voters away from Perry’s base.
“The thing that you most want is your base to be unified and energized,” Yost said, adding that regardless of Douglas’ support, the Democratic base across the state is motivated to turn out.
Polling the college released Thursday found Pennsylvanians would prefer Democrats to control the U.S. House rather than Republicans, by a margin of 48% to 36%.
Those numbers are boosted by broad favorability for Gov. Josh Shapiro, who has a 16-point polling lead in his reelection campaign over his Republican challenger, state Treasurer Stacy Garrity. Democratic favorability also connects to displeasure with Trump, whose approval ratings in Pennsylvania have dropped to 27%, per the Franklin & Marshall poll.
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