PA-10th Congressional House District Map
Two years ago, 5,133 votes decided who would represent the 10th Congressional District. Rep. Scott Perry beat Janelle Stelson 50.6% to 49.4%, the narrowest win of his time in Congress.
5,133 is a number we can picture. It’s a few blocks of Allison Hill, a few congregations in York, and the cousins, coworkers, and neighbors who decided it wasn’t worth the trip to the polls. In 2026, that number is back in front of us, and this time we know what it means.
Stelson, the former WGAL anchor, won the Democratic primary in May and is running again. The district covers Dauphin County and parts of York and Cumberland counties. On Oct. 9, the nonpartisan Cook Political Report moved the race from toss-up to “lean Democrat.” That’s encouraging, but “lean” isn’t “safe.” It means the race is still close enough that turnout will settle it.
In a race this competitive, Black voters in Harrisburg and York can be decisive. If we vote, we can be the deciding voice in this election.
The stakes are plain. Our current representative pushed to overturn Pennsylvania’s 2020 election and voted against restoring the Voting Rights Act. Black Central Pennsylvania deserves better, and we have the votes to get it.
Asking the candidate
Janelle Stelson, Candidate for PA-10
The Message wanted to hear from Stelson directly, in her own words, for our own record.
Through campaign field organizer Nacole Moore, we put three questions to her: what she would do for Black wealth, what she would do for the Black vote, and what she owes us after Election Day. She answered all three.
Protecting the ballot
We started with the vote, the right our grandparents marched and bled for.
Stelson didn’t hedge. “I support restoring and strengthening the protections of the Voting Rights Act,” she told The Message, and she pledged to make the John Lewis Voting Rights Act law. She committed to federal protections that make registration accessible, protect voters from intimidation and discrimination, and “ensure that every eligible voter’s ballot is counted.”
It’s the commitment Black voters have waited years to hear from whoever holds this seat. Now it’s in writing, in a Black publication.
Opening the doors to wealth
From the ballot, we turned to the bank account, where generations of damage still shows. Redlining, denied loans, and investment that went everywhere but our blocks have kept Black families from building what others were allowed to build.
Stelson started from that reality. “Every family deserves a fair opportunity to build generational wealth, own a home, grow a business and provide a secure future for their children,” she wrote. She pledged to expand affordable housing, support small businesses, and improve access to capital for entrepreneurs. She also committed to addressing discriminatory lending directly and to making sure “federal resources reach all communities.”
Homeownership, capital, and fair lending are the tools that let a family keep what it earns and pass it on.
A seat at the table
Our last question was the one Black voters have learned to ask every election: will you still know us in January?
“You deserve a representative who shows up, listens, follows through and remains accessible long after the votes are counted,” Stelson wrote.
She pledged a district office that helps residents get through federal agencies and reach the resources they’re owed, and regular listening sessions across the district where people can raise concerns and hear directly about the work being done for them. Her promise is a seat at the table on jobs, housing, education, public safety, health care, and economic opportunity.
That’s an open door, and we intend to walk through it.
Our record
History is usually written about us, not by us. This interview is part of a different practice: we asked our own questions, the candidate answered, and the record now belongs to us.
That record matters on Nov. 3, and it will matter after. The Message will return to these commitments after Election Day: the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, fair lending and access to capital, the district office, and the listening sessions. We’ll report on how they’re being kept.
The 5,133 votes remind us how close this election can be. But our political responsibility does not end when the ballots are counted. We have asked the questions, and we have the answers in writing. Whoever represents this district must understand that Black Central Pennsylvania intends to remain part of the conversation, not only on Election Day but throughout the years that follow.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Check your registration and polling place at vote.pa.gov, and bring someone with you.
Janelle Stelson’s answers in full
Published as submitted.
1. Economic Opportunity and Wealth-Building in Black Communities
Every family deserves a fair opportunity to build generational wealth, own a home, grow a business and provide a secure future for their children. In Congress, I will fight for policies that expand access to affordable housing, strengthen support for small businesses, improve access to capital for entrepreneurs, and invest in infrastructure and economic development. I will also support efforts to address discriminatory lending practices and ensure that federal resources reach all communities.
2. Voting Rights and Protecting Access to the Ballot
The right to vote is fundamental to our democracy. Our country has a long history of fighting to secure voting rights, and we cannot allow that progress to be reversed. I support restoring and strengthening the protections of the Voting Rights Act and make the John Lewis Voting Rights Act law. In Congress, I will fight for federal protections that make voter registration accessible, protect voters from intimidation and discrimination, and ensure that every eligible voter’s ballot is counted. Every community deserves access to clear, accurate information about registration deadlines, voting options, polling locations and ballot procedures.
3. Accountability to Black Residents Beyond Election Day
Representing Central Pennsylvania is a responsibility I would take seriously every day—not just during an election campaign. You deserve a representative who shows up, listens, follows through and remains accessible long after the votes are counted.
If elected, I will work to build a district office that serves all of our communities and provides residents with meaningful assistance navigating federal agencies and accessing available resources. I believe constituent services must be respectful, responsive and accessible to everyone.
I also believe accountability requires consistent communication and direct engagement. I will work to establish regular opportunities for community conversations and listening sessions throughout the district, so residents can share ideas, raise concerns and hear directly about the work being done on their behalf. My commitment is to earn your trust and ensure you have a seat at the table when decisions are made about jobs, housing, education, public safety, health care and economic opportunity.
The Message is published by the Black Voter Outreach Network of Pennsylvania. Contact: blackvoteroutreachnetwork@gmail.com
