U.S. Rep. Scott Perry (R-10th District) and Democratic challenger Janelle Stelson (U.S. House photo/Stelson campaign)
Incumbent U.S. Rep. Scott Perry (R-10th District) took on Democratic challenger Janelle Stelson in their first and only debate Tuesday night.
Perry has represented the 10th Congressional District since 2010 and was leader of the Freedom Caucus from 2022 to 2024. Stelson is a political newcomer and was a news anchor in the region for several decades.
Stelson is trying to help Democrats win back the U.S. House of Representatives, which has a thin Republican majority of 220 to 212.
However, she lives outside the 10th District in Lancaster County. Stelson said she lived in various parts of the district in the past in places such as Camp Hill and Harrisburg and would move back after the election.
But that fact still drew criticism from Perry.
“If you’re going to represent the district and raise our taxes, you should live here,” he said.
Stelson accused Perry of being a career politician and not accomplishing much during his tenure. “You’ve been telling me you can’t afford your lives,” she said of Perry’s constituents. “My opponent has had 12 years to work on that.”
But for the most part, the candidates relied on policy points throughout the debate, rather than personal attacks.
Economy and housing
The cost of living has been rising since May 2020. It hit a consumer price index high in July 2022, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Moderator Dennis Owens questioned the candidates on how they would make things affordable.
Perry spoke about cutting taxes, touting the work he did during former President Donald Trump’s presidency.
“I voted for the largest tax cut in history, giving people in this district and across the country, in Pennsylvania, more money in their pocket,” he said. “When I was in Congress four years ago, when President Trump was there, wages were the highest they have ever been since the Carter administration.”
Stelson spoke about raising the minimum wage.
“Pennsylvania has a $7.25 an hour minimum wage,” she said. “Every state around us, has almost double. West Virginia has a higher rate than that, and the cost of living is far less.”
Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, has made a campaign promise to provide $25,000 in down payment assistance for new homebuyers.
Stelson did not directly say whether she supported the plan, but said there is a supply issue with the housing market.
According to the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors, home listings in Pennsylvania were down by around 15,000 in August, compared to three years ago.
Perry criticized the Democrats and regulations. Additionally, he used his time to say immigrants are coming in illegally, moving into houses and pricing Americans out of the market.
In 2021, around 16% of households were headed by an immigrant, according to the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University. The study did not reference their legal status.
Elections
Perry was one of the signers of an amicus brief in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania which contested the 2020 election results.
During the debate, Perry claimed he received thousands of messages calling for an investigation into the 2020 election.
“There has been no investigation,” he said. “The American people of this district and across Pennsylvania need to be sure that they can trust the fidelity of our elections.”
Following Trump’s defeat, his lawyers filed multiple lawsuits challenging perceived irregularities. All were defeated.
On Jan. 6, 2021, Perry objected to the election results before a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol. Once the riot was over and Congress could get back to certifying the results, Perry doubled down and continued to deny them.
In August 2022, the FBI seized his cell phone.
When asked about that, Perry said it was a lie by the media and he was not under investigation.
In December 2023, a federal judge allowed prosecutors to access nearly 1,700 records on his phone.
He also claimed mail-in voting is not safe saying the U.S. Post Office illegally shredded ballots.
That claim is unfounded and in some instances, videos showed mail waste rather than ballots.
Martha Johnson, a Postal Service spokesperson, told USA Today in 2022 that postal workers are not allowed to tamper with ballots. Allegations of ballot tampering would be investigated by the Postal Inspection Service and the USPS Office of the Inspector General.
Stelson said access to voting should be expanded, including by mail. “This is a tried and true method of voting, it’s just as good as everything else,” she said.
Abortion
Following the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, several states began instituting abortion bans. Abortion remains legal in Pennsylvania up to 24 weeks of pregnancy.
On his campaign site, Perry says he is anti-abortion except in extreme circumstances such as rape or incest. However, he supported a bill that would have abortion banned nationwide without exceptions.
When asked, Stelson quickly brought attention to his support of that bill and said a pregnant person should be able to make their own decisions.
“There’s no reason why Scott Perry knows better than they do what to do with their own bodies in their most intimate decisions,” she said.
Perry continued to say he supports exceptions when it comes to abortion.
Immigration
Earlier this year, the bipartisan border bill was killed in the U.S. Senate after Trump reportedly expressed his disapproval and concerns it could hurt Republicans’ reelection efforts.
Stelson said the Biden administration did not do enough to secure the border. She criticized Perry for flying to visit the border in a trip supported by taxpayer money but did not provide a solution.
“Pretty sure one knows we had a problem at the border,” she said.
She called for more border security agents and judges to ensure immigrants are here legally.
Perry criticized the current administration for the uptick in border crossings and said the solution was to put Trump back in office.
Term limits
In 2020, Perry supported a term limit amendment that would limit House members to three terms.
He said he tried to make it happen during the tenure of then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), but the former speaker didn’t let it happen.
“The speaker said he was going to do it. We agreed. We voted for him, and then he never did it, which means he’s not the speaker anymore.”
Stelson also shared her support for term limits, including for herself.
“I would limit myself if I’m lucky enough to get to Washington,” she said. She said term limits should be 12 years or six terms in the House.
Middle East
Both candidates said Israel has the right to defend itself following the attacks of Oct. 7, 2023.
“I stand for Israel’s right to root out Hamas and decimate the terrorist organization that doesn’t even believe Israel should exist,” Stelson said.
She added that if Hamas were to release the hostages from Oct. 7, a ceasefire would occur in short order. “I think we should be proud in the leadership roles we’re taking, and you know you can’t watch without being devastated about the whole situation,” she added
Perry asserted Stelson is unwilling to criticize members of the Democratic party that support a free Palestine. “My opponent and the administration doesn’t want to criticize the pro- Hamas wing of the Democrat party that exists in America,” he said.
Perry also took the opportunity to criticize the Biden administration over its handling of the war, claiming it sent money to Israel and Hamas at the same time.
The U.S. is not sending money to Hamas, but is sending humanitarian aid to Palestinians which some Republicans claim is falling into Hamas’ hands.
Three Mile Island
The 10th District is home to the site of the worst nuclear accidents in American history at Three Mile Island. The nuclear plant will reopen to power Microsoft data centers, but it may require a federal loan.
Perry said he supports creating more power but does not think Microsoft needs money from the federal government to do so, given it is the third largest company in the world by market capitalization.
Stelson said it would be a good thing for TMI to reopen, as it could bring jobs to the area.
The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 21, and the deadline to request a mail ballot is Oct. 29.
Mail ballots must be received by the local election office by 8 p.m. on Nov. 5.
Voters can register at vote.pa.gov.
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