Scott Perry

Perry campaign's attack ad is based on a claim from the Democratic candidate's neighbor, which Stelson says are false.

A new attack ad from Republican U.S. Rep. Scott Perry’s campaign accuses his Democratic challenger Janelle Stelson of exposing her naked body to a neighbor’s grandchild.

The ad, which begins with Perry saying that he’s approved the message, ends with an announcer intoning that Stelson is “not fit to serve.”

It was released Monday and swiftly denounced as false by Stelson.

The ad, based on the neighbor’s unsubstantiated claim, comes as the rematch race between Perry and Stelson in Central Pennsylvania heats up as it enters the final stretch. Both parties view Perry’s seat as one of the most competitive in the country. It’s one of four in the state that could determine control of the U.S. House, drawing in a flood of national money.

Stelson’s campaign manager, Alma Baker, said Wednesday that Stelson is considering filing a defamation lawsuit against the incumbent Republican.

“This false accusation is a pathetic, desperate attempt by Scott Perry to rescue his failing campaign, with easily disproven lies,” Baker said in a statement.

Baker added that as a former TV anchor, Stelson “had been a victim of stalking and harassment” over the years.

The Perry spot began airing not long after Republican Vivek Ramaswamy released a campaign ad in the race for Ohio governor that features Democratic candidate Amy Acton’s estranged mother saying her daughter lied about trauma she experienced in her childhood, and is undeserving of office. Throughout the years, Acton has accused her stepfather of sexually abusing her, and has said her mother remained with the man even after he was arrested and charged with raping her.

Many Republicans joined Democrats in criticizing the ad.

“We are seeing Republicans across the country run despicable, blatantly false ads in the closing days of this election because they know they’re about to lose,” said Eli Cousin, a spokesperson for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, in a statement to The Inquirer on Wednesday.

Perry’s campaign spokesperson Matt Beynon sent The Inquirer a statement from Sharon Orr, Stelson’s East Pennsboro Township neighbor on whose claims the 30-second ad, now roiling the race, is based.

PennLive, which first covered the ad, reported that Orr is a Perry supporter.

Orr’s statement was written under a heading “Affadavit,” a misspelling of affidavit. It wasn’t clear whether it was a legal document.

A lieutenant in the East Pennsboro Township police confirmed Wednesday in an interview that there was a call for police to be dispatched to Stelson’s home in the summer.

Orr claimed that in August Stelson had been “walking around outdoors in the public sphere” outside her house, “with her breasts and buttocks fully exposed and in plain sight of my minor age grandchild who lives with me.”

Orr said she took a photo and called police.

The photo Orr said she took was not pictured in the ad, and Beynon said Wednesday that he’s never seen a copy of it.

Orr also said that earlier in the summer, Stelson had appeared outside her home “in a shirt and undergarments.” Orr said these sightings concerned her because of potential “effects on my grandchild who is on the autism spectrum and mirrors behaviors and actions.”

PennLive wrote that one of Stelson’s neighbors, Steve Dillon, said he found the entire accusation implausible. He said that the account of Stelson being entirely naked outside her home “would not be in character with what I’ve gotten to know of her.”

Asked for comment, Beynon said Wednesday, “We’re going to allow Ms. Stelson’s neighbor’s statement speak for itself.” Neither Orr nor her neighbors returned calls for comment.

East Pennsboro Township has not released internal documents about the incident and denied a right-to-know request for the documents from Perry’s campaign, according to a police response shared by Beynon.

Perry, who has represented the Harrisburg area for seven terms, narrowly defeated Stelson two years ago and slightly trailed her in a September poll from Franklin & Marshall College.

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