New poll finds voters cite economy as top issue in Perry-Stelson race

Franklin & Marshall poll finds 22% of voters in Pa. 10 name the economy and finances as their top concern, while Scott Perry and Janelle Stelson remain separated by 3 percentage points.

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  Katie Knol is WITF's General Assignment Reporter & Host.
  
  She graduated from Penn State University in 2024, earning bachelor's degrees in journalism and political science. She has also worked at WPSU, the News Lab at Penn State, The Daily Collegian and CommRadio.

Voters in Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional District say their top issue is the economy this election cycle, according to a new Franklin & Marshall College poll.

Republican incumbent Scott Perry and Democratic challenger Janelle Stelson are facing off this November for the seat that includes all of Dauphin County, along with parts of Cumberland and York. Stelson faced him in the 2024 election, too, ultimately losing by about 1%.

Of the 390 voters surveyed between Sept. 9 and Sept. 20 in PA-10, 22% said the economy and finances are their top issues. The next highest concern was government and politicians, with 12% saying it was most important.

Polled voters also gave Democrats a 24-point advantage on handling the economy.

Berwood Yost, director for the Center for Opinion Research at Franklin and Marshall College, said the slightly Republican-leaning district is generally unhappy with the Trump administration.

Only 27% responded that President Donald Trump is doing an excellent or good job as president, while 72% said he’s doing a fair or poor job. Similarly, 37% said the Trump administration’s policies have helped a lot or somewhat. Fifty-nine percent said the policies have hurt somewhat or a lot.

“Those numbers reflect what we’re seeing statewide, so even in a district that’s a marginally Republican district, those voters are feeling very much like the voters in the rest of the state,” Yost said.

What’s different from the 2024 race? Yost said it’s all about which party holds the presidency.

President Joe Biden, a Democrat, held that position two years ago, and the main voter complaint then was also the economy.

“The shoe is on the other foot at the moment, and Republicans and the Trump administration currently own how people feel about the economy, and their views are largely negative,” Yost said.

Stelson has slight numerical lead

The poll shows 47% of voters said they would be voting for or are leaning toward supporting Stelson, while 44% said the same of Perry. Nine percent of voters reported they were undecided.

However, the margin of error is plus or minus 5.7%. Yost said even with the sample error, the odds are “more likely” that Stelson is ahead in the race.

“Maybe the best way to characterize the race is just to say it’s a very close race,” he said. “There’s still enough undecided voters to tilt toward one candidate or the other, and there’s still some time to go before Election Day, so certainly this race isn’t fixed in place.”

Gov. Josh Shapiro’s appearance at the top of the ticket could give Stelson a boost, Yost said. Shapiro, a first-term Democrat who will face Republican challenger Stacy Garrity, is a popular candidate, according to the Franklin & Marshall poll.

“People who are coming out to vote for Josh Shapiro, if they cast their vote for him, they’re more likely to vote for a Democratic candidate down the ticket,” Yost said. “That’s a real problem for Republicans this time around — just that the gubernatorial race has not been all that competitive. Unless that changes, that is going to give Democrats some real advantages.”