Scott Perry

Shortly after losing by a slight margin in her attempt to unseat seven-term Republican U.S. Rep Scott Perry in 2024, Janelle Stelson announced she would take another shot at the conservative congressman and staunch ally of President Donald Trump.

Now, after weathering a challenge from Dauphin County Commissioner Justin Douglas, she will have her chance, easily fending off her progressive challenger in Tuesday's Democratic primary. Stelson won with 38,619 votes to Douglas' 17,157, according to unofficial results.

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Stelson had made, as a centerpiece of her campaign, unseating Perry, who she has tied to Trump's increasingly unpopular policies. She has focused on affordability and has been critical of Perry for supporting policies that have made it more difficult for middle-class Americans to keep up with rising gas and grocery prices and have favored the wealthy. She also focused on the corruption in Washington.

At her victory party, according to a news release, Stelson told the crowd that she will continue to focus on those issues.

"I respect Commissioner Douglas for his commitment to defeating Scott Perry and look forward to working with him and others in our community to unseat Perry and deliver change," she said, according to the release.

And while Stelson positioned herself has a more moderate Democrat - she is a former Republican - Douglas ran as a progressive. His campaign was also critical of Stelson for its fundraising from PACs and other interests. He had not accepted any campaign contributions from corporate PACs. As a result, his campaign was vastly outspent in the primary.

Stelson also had the support of the national Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which had targeted Perry's seat after Stelson came within less than two percent of the vote from unseating him in 2024 and believes that Stelson has the best chance of flipping Pennsylvania's 10th District blue. The district - which has changed geographically over the years - has been represented by a Republican for six decades.

Douglas acknowledged he was the underdog in the campaign, a position he is accustomed to, having been the underdog when he ran for county commissioner and won. He had criticized Stelson for avoiding debates and candidates' nights with him.