PHILADELPHIA — Former news anchor Janelle Stelson, the Democratic nominee for central Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional District, said the primary did exactly what it was supposed to do.

After winning a six-way Democratic primary last week, she will face U.S. Rep. Scott Perry, the Republican incumbent and the former leader of the Freedom Caucus who tried to throw out Pennsylvania’s electoral votes in the 2020 election.

“What it did, first of all, shows the desire to unseat Scott Perry, that so many people are willing to do such a hard thing,” she said of the crowded primary field. “And it also makes you stronger, harder, faster, which is absolutely what is required to take on Scott Perry.”

Although Stelson had a strong primary win over her five opponents, it’s hard to unseat an incumbent member of Congress. Perry is seeking a seventh term representing the district, where 44.4% of voters are Republicans and 38.5% are Democrats. Stelson herself was a Republican until last year, when she changed her party before launching her campaign. While she faced attacks about her past party affiliation during the Democratic primary race, she could use it to attract bipartisan support in November.

Stelson, 63, is counting in part on name recognition in the district to give her a boost. She left her job at Lancaster-based WGAL to launch her campaign last fall and lives in Lancaster, where she is a ”single mom” to three rescue cats and also takes care of strays. She lives outside of the 10th Congressional District, which includes Dauphin County and parts of York and Cumberland Counties. She said she has previously lived in various parts of the district and would move back if she won in November.

While she was on her way to an interview outside Alvaro Bread and Pastry Shoppe in Harrisburg the day after winning the primary, some locals waved to her and said they’d voted for her, she said. For district residents who watch broadcast news, they’ve been familiar with Stelson for decades.

Mike O’Brien, who finished second in the Democratic primary, couldn’t keep up with her familiarity in the district. He’d outspent her by more than $186,000 as of April 3, but she got almost twice as many votes as he did. O’Brien said he’s now supporting Stelson.

Each primary candidate emphasized the importance of beating Perry, but Stelson focused on it. So she isn’t shifting her strategy dramatically going into the general election campaign.

“I left the job I really loved as a journalist to take on Scott Perry, to be very clear,” she said.

In a statement, Perry said Stelson has “radical leftist ideologies” and will support President Joe Biden’s policies, which he said contribute to the high cost of living, border crisis, crime, and “foreign policy failures.” In contrast, he said, he supports a secure border, powerful military, and fiscal responsibility.

...continued

©2024 The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC. Visit at inquirer.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.