Janelle Stelson unveiled a package of Congressional reforms Tuesday to push for if elected from Pennsylvania’s 10th House District.
To get there, Stelson must first win a contested Democratic primary against Dauphin County Commissioner Justin Douglas, and then prevail against Republican incumbent Scott Perry in the general election.
The former WGAL News 8 anchorwoman said Tuesday that reform will be one of the pillars of her effort.
“Our campaign is not about a party. It’s not about a side,” Stelson said, standing with a group of supporters at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers’ Local 229 union hall in York.
“It is about ending the culture in Washington where politicians stay too long, get too comfortable, and begin serving the system instead of the constituents.”
The reform package includes term limits, a prohibition on stock trading by serving members, and a lifetime ban on members becoming lobbyists after leaving office.
There was also this new idea:
A mandatory retirement age for those serving in the House and Senate, as a companion to the minimum ages currently set in the Constitution.
“The Constitution restricts people who are too young from serving in federal office. They have to be 25 to serve in the House,” Stelson said.
“We should look at the other side as well. We should amend the Constitution to add age limits so we can get new ideas and fresh blood in Congress.”
Stelson said, for starters, she thinks about an age ceiling of 80, noting there are 24 current House and Senate members at age 80 or above.
Of course, one member of the House or Senate can not dictate policy in Washington.
But part of Tuesday’s mission, Stelson said, was showing 10th District voters how she would conduct herself in office.
For example, Stelson said she supports a 12-year term limit for House members, and promised to personally adopt that cap for herself if elected.
Same with a proposed ban on stock trades by members.
“I sold my individual stocks prior to running and will not own or trade individual stocks while in office,” Stelson said.
The lifetime ban on lobbying goes further than revolving door bans that bar former electeds from lobbying their ex-colleagues for a set number of years.
Her way, Stelson said, “There is no cashing in on your connections… There is no turning public trust into a private contract.”
Stelson also called for a Constitutional amendment to effectively reset the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision that permitted unlimited corporate spending on campaigns.
The other message Tuesday?
Stelson charged that Perry, after 14 years in office, has become part and parcel of the Washington culture that needs to be shaken up.
Perry’s team scoffed at characterization Tuesday afternoon, arguing there’s never been any question who he works for.
“Scott Perry does what he says he’s going to do, and looks to work with anyone who offers solutions, as long as they’re right for his bosses – the citizens of the 10th Congressional District,” campaign spokesman Matt Beynon said.
“It’s why he’s crossed the partisan aisle for the past decade to end congressional insider trading. It’s why he’s taken on the leaders of both parties to cut fraud, waste, and abuse. It’s why he’s demanded – to his own peril – transparency on the (Jeffrey) Epstein files way back since Epstein’s demise.
Stelson, by the way, also put in a quick pitch for full disclosure of the Epstein files Tuesday.
Douglas, Stelson’s rival for the Democratic nomination, welcomed many of Stelson’s ideas Tuesday. He also made clear he’s not ready to relinquish the reform mantle to anyone.
“I was an anti-corruption candidate in my campaign for county commissioner (in 2023) before the media would talk to me,” Douglas said.
And now, “I’m the only candidate in this race who has experience actually battling corruption in an elected office.”
Douglas has, in his campaign, pointed to ongoing reforms at Dauphin County Prison, shake-ups of the “shadow government” that’s dominated county contracts in certain areas for years, and expanded public accessibility to county government by, for example, livestreaming commissioner meetings.
Pennsylvania’s 10th District is comprised of all of Dauphin County, most of Cumberland County, and roughly the northern half of York County.
The 2026 race is rated by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report as a toss-up – one of just 18 in the nation – based largely on the fact that Perry v. Stelson was so close two years ago.
Perry won that race by slightly more than one percentage point, or 5,133 votes out of more than 400,000 case.
Pennsylvania’s primary election is May 19.