HARRISBURG — For the first time this cycle, eight Democratic candidates seeking to unseat Rep. Scott Perry (R-York) in Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional District met for a candidates’ forum.
“I think it’s safe to say we all agree that Scott Perry needs to go,” Dauphin County Democratic Party Chairwoman Rogette Harris said at the beginning of the meeting. two hour forum on Saturday.
This event The event was organized by the Dauphin County Democratic Party and Hagir Network and featured questions from a packed room of more than 200 people at Widener University School of Law.
The eight candidates largely agreed on issues such as abortion rights, protecting voting rights, expanding the Affordable Care Act and raising the minimum wage.
The candidates, however, were divided on Israel’s ongoing war with Hamas and whether they would support their party’s candidate in the 10th District in November. The candidates also traded not-so-veiled remarks about where they live in the district and how much time each has spent as a registered Democrat.
Rick CoplenArmy veteran and board member of Carlisle School; Blake Lynchformer WITF board member; Mike O’Brienretired marine; and Janelle StelsonThe former longtime WGAL-TV anchor said he would support the Democratic candidate in the race against Perry, whoever that is.
“This is bigger than you and me,” Stelson said. “This is a democratic issue, and we need a Democrat to get in there and throw out Scott Perry.”
Candidate William Lillich, a disabled veteran and former truck driver, said he hasn’t made up his mind yet. “I’m not the type to take an oath of allegiance,” he said. And candidate Bob Forbes, a retired Army sergeant and teacher in the Harrisburg School District, said it was “a little silly” to ask him if he would support the Democratic candidate, with the primary still months away.
Candidates were also asked how long they had been registered Democrats, which highlighted some contrasts.
Shamamina DanielsHarrisburg City Councilwoman who was the party’s candidate against Perry in 2022 but lost to 7 pointsShe said she has been registered as a Democrat since she was 22, when she was first eligible.
“I think what we need more than anything is Democrats who not only talk like Democrats but act like Democrats,” Daniels said.
John Broadhurstbusinessman, said he has always been a Democrat but expressed concerns about the party.
“I have been a very frustrated Democrat for years as I have seen the political situation in the United States change dramatically,” he said.
O’Brien said he registered as a Democrat at age 18 but became a registered independent when he became a military officer, then re-registered as a Democrat when Trump was on the ballot in 2016.
Stelson said she was previously a registered Republican but changed her registration to Democrat last year.
“I registered with the party my parents were in, as many of you may have done, before I really knew what the political landscape was, and that was the Republican Party,” Stelson said. “That’s not really the Republican Party that Republicans are today.”
She added that she has voted Democratic for years and said that because of her role as a journalist and the fact that she is nonpartisan, she has not made it a priority to change voter registration information.
Lynch said he registered as a Democrat at age 18 but switched parties when he was 26 “because, like a lot of people, I was frustrated.” But he added that when Trump became the Republican nominee in 2016, he switched parties and voted for Hillary Clinton.
Coplen, Daniels, Forbes, Lynch and Lillich all emphasized their roots in the district.
“The same voters we’re trying to reach at this forum today have soundly rejected outsiders like Oz and McCormick,” Forbes said, referring to two Republicans who were seeking to fill an open Pennsylvania Senate seat in 2022. David McCormick is now running to face U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), while Mehmet Oz lost to John Fetterman in the 2022 general election.
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“My constituents asked me to deliver a message to this group,” Forbes added. “Move here, live here, be our neighbor. But don’t ask to be our representative until you actually become our neighbor.”
Broadhurst, who is originally from Delaware County, said he currently lives in New Cumberland and added that he is not criticizing anyone for not being from that county.
O’Brien, a Montgomery County native, said he is currently renting a one-bedroom apartment in Susquehanna Township until his wife retires from the military in June, after which they will build a home in the township to start a family.
“This is the first time in our lives that we get to choose where we live,” O’Brien said, noting that he recently retired from the Marines. “And this is where we decided to raise our kids, and we’re very excited to do that.”
“So we are here to stay, regardless of the outcome,” O’Brien added.
Stelson currently lives in Lancaster County, which is part of the 11th Congressional District.
“I currently live a few miles outside the county line, but I could match my knowledge of the county if I did a story in every remote corner,” Stelson said, adding that she has lived in the county before and has for 40 years.
Asked if she plans to move to the neighborhood since she doesn’t currently live there, Stelson replied, “I’m looking forward to seeing what the future brings.”
The candidates were also not unanimous when asked whether they would support a resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
Broadhurst said he supports the ceasefire, adding that he believes the issue “could cost Democrats the election,” citing Arab American and youthful voters who will not support Biden and Democrats in the general election because of their handling of the issue.
Lynch also expressed support for a ceasefire. “Ceasefire immediately. Absolutely,” he said. He added that Israel had the right to defend itself after the Hamas attack on October 7, but said that “at this point there should be a ceasefire.”
O’Brien, who is Jewish, said the ongoing war was “too nuanced.” “I absolutely believe in Israel’s right to exist and its right to defend itself against Hamas,” O’Brien said. “We also agreed that we can all mourn the innocent civilians who lost their lives.”
Asked if he would agree to a ceasefire, O’Brien replied, “you’re minimizing nuance by having that conversation.”
Stelson said the ceasefire could not be unilateral. “If you want a ceasefire, Hamas, hand over the hostages, including the American hostages, and then we can talk,” she said, adding that she supported “Israel’s right to decimate” Hamas. She added that what is happening in the Middle East right now is “extremely heartbreaking.”
Coplen said it was an “extremely difficult situation,” adding that Israel has “an absolute right to defend itself,” but that the Palestinian people “have a right to their own land.” He added that he believes Israel should abide by the rules of war but “unfortunately violated them.”
Daniels said Israel has the right to defend itself, but as Israel’s ally, we remind them that we cannot support them in “conventional warfare in densely populated civilian urban centers like Gaza.”
Lillich said Hamas “must be annihilated, but not by carpet bombing cities.”
Forbes echoed the other candidates, citing his experience serving in South Korea and believing the conflict could become a model for a war between Israel and Hamas. He added that U.S. troops could lend a hand in that situation.
“If we put American heads there, they will stop planting bombs there and we will restore order,” Forbes said.
Perry, a former chairman of the conservative Freedom House caucus, is currently serving his sixth term in Congress.
“Today’s forum was simply a race to pass Biden’s failed policies that have left families in south-central Pennsylvania struggling, our southern border wide open, and our nation embarrassed and weakened on the international stage,” Matt Beynon, a spokesman for Perry’s campaign, told the Capital-Star in an email. “The more they talk, the more out of touch they make their candidacies seem.”
The Democratic Campaign Committee has placed Perry on 2024 Goal List incumbent members who intend to remove them from power as their goal is to restore the Democratic majority in the House of Representatives.
National rating agencies have also noted that the race could potentially be more competitive than previously expected. Cook Political Report changed her ranking from Likely Republican to Probably Republican after Stelson joined the race. Inside the Elections also changed his rating from Likely Republican to Probably Republican. He cited the candidacies of Stelson and O’Brien and noted that former President Donald Trump won only 51% of the current district lines in 2020 and that the 10th District is “sliding Democratic.”
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Harris said Saturday’s forum is the first of several that will feature Democratic candidates running for office.
The Dauphin County Democratic Party is scheduled to meet on February 17 for an endorsement event to be held four days after the deadline for candidates to distribute and submit nomination petitions.
The 10th Congressional District includes all of Dauphin County and parts of Cumberland and York Counties.
The Pennsylvania primary election will be held on April 23.
Correction: This article was updated on January 15 at 8:01 p.m. to add that Blake Lynch at some point changed his registration from Democrat.
