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Candidates › PA-10 race › 2025–2026
Janelle Stelson
D Democratic nominee for U.S. House, PA-10
Has not served in Congress
- On the ballot
- Won the general electionNov 3, 2026 · 126,826 votes (50.5%)
- Where to vote
- Find your polling place (opens in a new tab) · More ways to vote
- Top priorities
- BRING DOWN THE COST OF LIVING & FIXING OUR ECONOMY
- FIXING CONGRESS BY CLEANING OUT THE CORRUPTION IN BOTH PARTIES
- LOWERING THE COST OF YOUR HEALTH CARE
- PROTECTING YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY
- LOWERING YOUR ELECTRIC BILL & ENSURING DATA CENTERS ARE NOT TAKING ADVANTAGE OF OUR COMMUNITIES
- Money
- $9.2M raised, $7.2M spent, $2.1M cash on hand (through Oct 14, 2026). Where it comes from
- Who gives
- 22% of individual money from donors at $200 or less · 34% from Pennsylvania · largest committee giver DEMOCRACY ENGINE, INC., PAC, $18.7K
- Outside groups
- $1M supporting, $5M opposing Stelson
- Backed by
- Josh Shapiro · Austin Davis · Patty Kim and 49 more. As the campaign lists them
- Polling
- 47.7% in the latest poll (The New York Times/Siena University) · leads Scott Perry by 1.9 points on average. The polls
12 priorities from janellestelson.com, in the order they are listed there. Every heading and the text under it is copied exactly, as one passage for each page it is from, and links to that place on the page; hover a source to see which passage it opens.
Central Pennsylvanians are working harder than ever and falling further behind. We are being squeezed by the rising cost of everything from groceries to health care, and even if you have two or three jobs, it’s getting harder and harder to make ends meet. Scott Perry has now had 14 years in Congress to do something about it. But instead, he supports the chaotic policy of ever-changing tariff-taxes that raise prices and kill jobs, and the war in Iran that has increased the cost of gas, diesel and fertilizer. He was the deciding vote on a budget that slashes food assistance, raises utility bills and adds $3.4 trillion dollars in new debt, mortgaging our children’s future. All to support continuing permanent tax breaks for the wealthy and a new national sales tax that would force the middle class to pay more for gas and groceries. When it came time to actually vote on lowering housing costs, our Congressman Scott Perry was the only member of Pennsylvania’s Congressional delegation — Republican or Democrat — to vote no.
I support tax breaks for the hard-working middle class, not billionaires. I support no tax on tips or overtime and would vote to make that permanent. We need bipartisan problem-solving to pass laws that lower the cost of necessities— including food, gas, housing, utility costs, prescription drugs and more. I will repeal these tariff taxes that are increasing costs and vote to end the war in Iran. And we must address the national deficit, which has reached $41 trillion under Perry’s leadership. I will prioritize cutting wasteful government spending and make sure your taxpayer dollars are not abused.
I have been listening to people in this community for decades as a local newscaster, and one issue that more and more people are concerned about is the cost of housing. It has been getting worse, not better, and now it’s putting the American Dream of homeownership out of reach for young families across our district, even those with good jobs. This is why I have laid out clear housing priorities and a plan:
- Stop Wall Street from Buying Up Homes
- Cut Red Tape to Make it Faster and Easier to Build Homes
- Make Homes Cheaper to Build
- Expand Small-dollar Home Loans
- Reward Towns that Actually Build More Homes
- Rein in the National Debt and Return to Fiscal Sanity
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · janellestelson.com/priorities
I have spent decades asking tough questions of politicians. My job was not to answer to a political party. It was not to defend the rich and powerful. It was to shine a light on the truth and hold those on the other side of my microphone accountable on behalf of the community that relied on me to get answers. What I have learned is that Washington’s biggest problem is a lack of transparency and career politicians who put themselves ahead of the people they are supposed to serve. I am running for Congress because it is time someone holds their feet to the fire.
Washington is broken and our Congressman Scott Perry is a big part of what is wrong. Perry has been a politician for decades. That is too long and it has become clear that Scott Perry is not on our side.
This is my plan to confront Washington corruption directly and restore accountability:
- Limit terms to 12 years. Even if Congress does not act to require term limits, I will limit my own terms and will not serve more than 12 years. We do not need more career politicians. We need fewer.
- Age limits for Members of Congress.
- Ban members of Congress and their immediate families from trading individual stocks while in office so they cannot profit from insider information. I sold my individual stocks before running for office and will not own or trade individual stocks while in office.
- Lifetime ban on members becoming lobbyists after serving in the House: no cashing in on your service.
- Cut the perks of first-class flights. Congressmembers’ perks are out of control.
- A constitutional amendment to end or significantly curb the President’s pardoning power. President Clinton pardoned a financier who donated to his Presidential library, and President Bush pardoned a former White House staffer. President Biden pardoned his son. Even more dangerous are the pardons issued by President Trump to criminals who have gone on to commit more violent crimes.
- Pass a constitutional amendment to reverse the Citizens United decision and stop dark money groups from spending unlimited and untraceable money in campaigns.
- Create a truly independent Congressional Ethics Agency with the power to investigate members for wrongdoing, so members of Congress no longer regulate themselves.
- Strengthen the Federal Election Commission so it has more power to hold candidates and public officials who break campaign finance laws accountable.
- Reconstitute the FBI’s public corruption unit to ensure members of Congress in both parties are thoroughly investigated when they betray public trust, and fully fund the Justice Department’s public integrity unit to prosecute corrupt government officials.
- End Prediction Market Corruption.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · janellestelson.com/priorities
I support high-quality, affordable health care. We also need better access to urgent care and primary care. It should not take six months to get a physical or three days to get an appointment when you are sick. The current system needs reform. I support lowering the price of prescription drugs by allowing the government to negotiate prices.
Scott Perry was the deciding vote on a bill that would cut health care for nearly 20,000 people in our area. This bill is devastating and will worsen the doctor shortage, threaten our hospitals, and raise premiums. Big Pharma and the insurance companies that support Scott Perry have jacked up prices and put lives at risk. Unlike several of his Pennsylvania Republican colleagues, Scott Perry voted against lower health care costs and said reducing the cost of health insurance would be a “colossal mistake”.
You should never have to decide between putting food on the table and paying for the medical care you need. I believe we need to ban surprise billing, close the loophole for ambulance trips and improve the dispute arbitration process to better protect patients. It’s unacceptable that people who have health insurance coverage still fall into medical debt due to sky-high medical costs, that’s why I believe medical debt should be taken off credit reports.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · janellestelson.com/priorities
Congressman Perry wrote on his own website that he wants to cut Social Security benefits, raise taxes, and even raise the retirement age to 69. And unlike nearly every other Republican and Democratic Member of Congress from Pennsylvania, Perry voted to deny nurses, teachers and firefighters their full Social Security benefits. You earned your Social Security, and I will always fight to protect it. I will never cut the Social Security benefits that seniors have earned.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · janellestelson.com/priorities
Congressman Perry took campaign cash from data center developers and voted for nearly $70 billion in tax breaks to data centers, giving them our money to build data centers in our communities. These projects drive up electric rates, use and pollute drinking water, and are made with secret deals that hurt Central Pennsylvanians. Perry even said “we simply cannot afford to slow down the build-out of data centers”.
I believe that local communities and their leadership should have the right to approve or reject a data center project without getting sued by big corporations. Data centers should not simply be dropped into the middle of our neighborhoods, driving up utility prices, polluting water, creating noise pollution and lowering property values for hardworking families. If communities do not want them, they should not be built.
Perry also took more than $150,000 from energy companies and voted for policies that caused our electric prices to skyrocket. Families in our area are already struggling with the rising cost of everything and are watching their electric and utility bills climb faster than their paychecks. I will fight for accountability on utility rate increases and push for investments that bring costs down — because no family should have to choose between keeping the lights on and paying for their healthcare.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · janellestelson.com/priorities
Rural communities make up a large portion of Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional District and our hundreds of family-owned farms play a central role in agricultural production and food processing. In Congress, I will make fighting for a new, 5-year Farm Bill a top priority – one that lowers input costs, provides certainty to farmers, and helps get more young people into farming careers.
Central Pennsylvania is a leading producer of poultry and dairy, but because of the failure of both Democrats and Republicans to pass an updated Farm Bill, our farmers have been left without clarity on regulatory and agricultural policy changes. Four companies control over half of all chicken processing, raking in record profits for themselves while they squeeze family farmers out of business. In Congress, I would support legislative efforts to break up consolidation in the marketplace. Avian flu outbreaks have hit Pennsylvania poultry farmers hard, forcing flock losses, disrupting supply chains, and putting family operations under severe financial strain through no fault of their own. I support efforts to mitigate the impact of the avian flu outbreaks through stronger disease-prevention support and investments to protect farmers.
Many of our farmers have old equipment and do not have access to the newest technologies. In Congress, I will advocate to ensure that farmers in Central Pennsylvania have the resources to have the most up-to-date farming equipment. Additionally, I will advocate for legislation to give farmers the right to repair their own equipment and ensure they have the manuals, diagnostics and parts to do so.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · janellestelson.com/priorities
I am running to fight for good-paying jobs and to bring down the cost of living. The minimum wage of $7.25 in Pennsylvania is outrageous. It’s lower than any surrounding state, including West Virginia. At PA’s minimum wage, an hour’s worth of work barely buys a gallon of milk and a loaf of bread. Central Pennsylvanians deserve a Representative who will fight for policies that create good-paying jobs, keep them here with our highly-skilled workforce, train workers for the jobs of the future, and support our hard-working families.
And I think a lot of those jobs should not require a college degree. We need to concentrate more on vocational and technical training in our schools. We need more mechanics, plumbers, electricians, woodworkers, and tradespeople in general. These jobs pay family-supporting wages and cannot be outsourced to China. I will be a champion for these jobs in Congress.
Innovation is how we build the industries and jobs of the future right here in Pennsylvania — like advanced manufacturing. I will fight to protect and grow the investments that make that possible, like the CHIPS and Science Act and stronger research funding, so American breakthroughs happen here at home. China is racing to overtake us in the critical technologies that will define this century, and we cannot afford to fall behind.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · janellestelson.com/priorities
Scott Perry’s tariff war has led to price spikes for Central Pennsylvanians on everything from goods to groceries, and has made it harder for small businesses to compete in the global marketplace. We must level the playing field and hold foreign countries accountable for trying to rip us off. Every household has already been forced to pay over $2,300 due to tariffs, and small businesses are being forced to raise prices on their neighbors or close up shop. I have sat down with business owners across Central Pennsylvania, and I have heard over and over that they need help accessing capital and getting health insurance and benefits for their employees. Scott Perry voted to increase insurance premiums that many small business owners rely on. I would do the opposite. Small businesses are key to Central Pennsylvania’s economy and in Congress, I will ensure my office helps with SBA loans and I will advocate to cut through red tape so our small businesses can thrive.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · janellestelson.com/priorities
In Congress, I will vote to ensure that those who serve our country in the Armed Forces receive the benefits they have earned. Congressman Perry voted against the largest expansion of veterans’ benefits and health care in VA history. Every member of Congress from Pennsylvania EXCEPT Scott Perry voted to help house homeless veterans. In Congress, I will vote to expand access to health benefits, continuing education and job-training to equip veterans for continued success back home in our communities.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · janellestelson.com/priorities
I have always supported a stronger border and have never supported open borders. I have been critical of members of my own party who advocated for open borders. I oppose open borders because it is unacceptable to allow criminals and life-stealing drugs across the border. I support deporting every violent illegal immigrant and oppose taxpayer benefits for anyone in the country illegally.
We have the right to feel safe in our communities. Deportations should focus on those who have committed violent crimes, and that is clearly not what is happening right now. There needs to be independent and thorough investigations into every killing involving ICE agents. ICE should also not be rewarded for arresting legal U.S. citizens. Due process and our laws must be followed. All federal law enforcement, including ICE, should wear uniforms with badges and should not wear masks.
I will work with anyone from any party to strengthen our immigration system and better control who is coming into this country. We need to properly fund a secure border— including the latest technology— to make sure drug dealers are not slipping through the cracks. At one point in 2024, nearly one- third of the cameras were out of service on the southern border. We must do better. We have a broken immigration system, and both parties have botched the crisis for years.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · janellestelson.com/priorities
When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, I had to look into the TV camera and tell women that for the first time in 50 years, our reproductive rights are no longer protected under federal law. The next generation is going to grow up with fewer rights and that is unacceptable.
Women should make their own health care decisions with recommendations from their doctors. But Congressman Scott Perry thinks politicians should be able to tell you when, where and how to start a family. It’s why for years he has sponsored a nationwide abortion ban with no exceptions for rape, incest or the life of the woman. He even supports a law that would ban IVF. In Congress, I will fight to ensure the protections guaranteed under Roe are once again the law of the land.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · janellestelson.com/priorities
Rising costs are squeezing families in Central Pennsylvania from every direction — the price of raising children and the burden of caring for aging parents, all while too many workers have no paid leave to fall back on when they need it most.
I will be a champion for our educators and the youngsters who, literally, are our future. This is personal because I am from a family of educators. After his time as a State Trooper, my father was a public school teacher and coach who moved furniture for a summer job to ensure his four girls had food on the table. Quality public schools are the bedrock of our communities and the foundation of America. We should prioritize educating our children and making sure teachers, support professionals, cafeteria workers and bus drivers get the pay and respect they deserve.
Supporting our families also means fixing the child care, elder care and paid leave crisis that’s putting families in impossible positions. Too many parents cannot find or afford child care. Too many adult children are struggling to care for aging parents while holding down a job. And too many workers still do not have access to paid leave when they need to care for a new baby or a sick loved one. Families should not have to choose between a paycheck and taking care of the people they love.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · janellestelson.com/priorities