Janelle Stelson

This November, Janelle Stelson will face a formidable opponent, Rep. Scott Perry, a hard-right, six-term Republican incumbent who previously chaired the House Freedom Caucus and still claims the 2020 election was stolen. Stelson does have one ace in her hand — she’s a very popular Emmy Award-winning local news anchor who just recently left TV to run for Congress. “I cannot stand by and watch Congressman Perry continue to sow chaos, preach extremism and spout conspiracy theories.”

Born in Fairbanks, Alaska, Stelson grew up in the Seattle area, the oldest of four sisters. Her mother was a receptionist at the Naval shipyard in Bremerton and her father was a state trooper and teacher. She graduated from the University of Puget Sound before moving to Harrisburg to work as a television reporter and weather anchor.

She says she’ll be “a fierce fighter for workers’ rights, for civil rights, for abortion rights” and adds that one of the key issues motivating her to run was Roe v. Wade being overturned. She favors legislation that will lower the cost of necessities, including food, gas, housing and prescription drugs. “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.” She also supports both aid to Israel and humanitarian aid to Gaza.

During her primary, she received endorsements from EMILY’s List, the New Democrat Coalition Action Fund, and the United Mine Workers of America, and she bested five other contenders. Though previously registered as a Republican, she confesses that “I voted for Joe Biden, Josh Shapiro, John Fetterman, Hillary [and] Barack Obama.”

It’s important to remember that Janelle Stelson is running as a centrist in a Pennsylvania district that the New York Times claims was “likely Republican” but has grown more competitive.