PA-10: Douglas joins Democratic fray for Perry’s seat
Dauphin County Commissioner Justin Douglas formally announced his candidacy for a run at Congress with a text message to residents in the 10th Congressional District earlier today.
A former pastor and CrossFit coach-turned-politician, Douglas provided one of the biggest upsets in the 2023 election cycle, winning his commissioner seat and flipping the three-member board Democrat for the first time in at least 100 years.
Douglas, who will hold a press conference to provide details about his campaign tonight, will contend for the Democratic nomination against 2024 candidate Janelle Stelson, the former broadcast journalist who lost by approximately 5,000 votes to Rep. Scott Perry.
Stelson has already accumulated endorsements from a number of key power players in Pennsylvania Democratic politics, including Gov. Josh Shapiro, Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, and Harrisburg-area Assembly members Sen. Patty Kim (D-15), Rep. Nate Davidson (D-103), Rep. Justin Fleming (D-104) and Rep. Dave Madsen (D-105).
According to a report from WHTM, Douglas said in the text message that “I’m a pastor, a Crossfitter, a former rock/metal band guitarist, and I’m someone who has never backed down from a fight.”
“From Bernie Sanders to AOC and even Jesse Jackson, Commissioner Douglas has tied himself to the most radical fringe of the Democrat Party at every turn,” Perry’s campaign spokesman Matt Beynon told the York Dispatch. “As in sync as Commissioner Douglas is with the new socialist base of the Democrat Party, he’s woefully out of touch with the values of the 10th Congressional District. Congressman Perry looks forward to watching the race to the left between Commissioner Douglas and Janelle Stelson in the weeks and months to come.”
The Stelson campaign did not respond to a request for comment on Douglas entering the race.
Army veteran William Lillich has also submitted a statement of candidacy for PA-10 with the FEC, while Isabelle Harman announced her candidacy as an independent and hopes to get on the ballot through the petitioning process.
The 10th District covers Dauphin County and parts of Cumberland and York counties.
Steve Ulrich is the managing editor of PoliticsPA, where this article first appeared.
