Janelle Stelson won the Democratic primary election for Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional District

By

Ethan Sorell

Janelle Stelson (D) won the Democratic primary election for Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional District on April 23, 2024. Stelson received 43.9% of the vote. Mike O’Brien (D) finished in second with 23.3% of the vote. John Broadhurst (D), Rick Coplen (D), Shamaine Daniels (D), and Blake Lynch (D) also ran in the primary.

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Suzan DelBene said Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional district was one of 33 competitive Republican-held seats the party is targeting in the November 2024 elections. Incumbent U.S. Rep Scott Perry (R) is in his sixth term in Congress. He won the previous three general elections by single digits, increasing his margin-of-victory in each election from 2.6 to 6.6 to 8 percentage points.

Daniels defeated Coplen in the 2022 Democratic primary 52.6% to 47.4%. Daniels then lost to Perry in the general election 53.8% to 46.2%.

In a debate on March 6, none of the candidates criticized each other’s positions. They all attacked Perry’s record, though Broadhurst said he would not base his campaign on “anti-Trump or anti-Perry sentiment alone.”

All of the candidates supported abortion access in all cases. Daniels, Stelson, and Coplen supported raising the minimum wage to at least $15 per hour; O’Brien also supported raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour, but specified the value should be indexed to inflation; and Lynch and Broadhurst said the minimum wage should be increased to a living wage of more than $15. 

O’Brien and Lynch were the only candidates who did not support a federal assault weapon ban, though O’Brien said he supported stopping the sale and transfer of those weapons, while Lynch said he believed there should be increased regulations.

As of April 3, 2024, O’Brien raised the most money in the primary, taking in $736,227 since the start of the campaign cycle. He raised $321,867 in quarter one. Stelson raised the next most in the primary, with $577,019 since the start of the campaign and $293,806 in quarter one. 

Stelson will face Incumbent U.S. House Rep. Scott Perry (R) in the November 5 general election.