Around 40 minutes into the televised debate between Republican Rep. Scott Perry and Democrat Janelle Stelson, the moderator said he would pivot to the “highly polarized state of politics” in the country and the congressional district.

But by that point, mudslinging during the hour-long showdown on Harrisburg’s abc27 had already been well underway between Perry, 64, a seven-term incumbent, and Stelson, 66, a former TV anchor running for the key swing seat for a second time after narrowly losing two years ago.

Interruptions, accusations of lies, and sarcastic eye rolls marked the fiery debate — reflective of the bitter divide among voters ahead of the Nov. 3 rematch in the 10th Congressional District, which includes parts of Dauphin, York and Cumberland Counties. It is one of four competitive congressional districts in Pennsylvania that could determine which party controls the U.S. House.

Perry, a close ally of President Donald Trump, repeatedly called Stelson a liar and incompetent. Stelson said he should get a different job and charged Perry, a retired brigadier general in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, with betraying military veterans with his votes.

It was a contrast to the cordial gubernatorial debate that took place on the same stage one week prior between Gov. Josh Shapiro and State Treasurer Stacy Garrity.

Perry, who first was elected to Congress in 2012, beat Stelson in 2024 by just 5,133 votes, or 1.2 percentage points. But this year, a September poll from Franklin and Marshall College gave Stelson a 3-percentage-point lead on the Republican incumbent.

Here are three takeaways from the debate:

Josh Shapiro, ‘Are you kidding?’

Shapiro, who is likely considering a 2028 presidential run, was not in the room but loomed large throughout the night as the popular governor was referenced multiple times by both candidates.

Stelson, who has Shapiro’s endorsement, reciprocated with a show of support if the governor pursues higher office. When asked which Democrat — including Shapiro, former Vice President Kamala Harris, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom — she believes is best positioned to win the presidency in two years, Stelson replied, “Good heavens, Josh Shapiro,” before adding: “Are you kidding?”

Stelson declined to answer a similar question about whom she would back for House speaker if Democrats take the House.

She applauded Shapiro’s work overseeing the quick rebuild of I-95 in Philadelphia after a bridge collapsed three years ago.

“He doesn’t say, ‘You’re a Democrat, I’m going to do this for you’ or ‘You’re a Republican, I’m not going to do it for you.’ He says, ‘This is what we need to get done,’” she said.

But Perry, a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, took multiple swipes at the Democratic governor, who won the district in 2022.

When asked what role the federal government should play in regulating data centers, Perry blasted Shapiro, who had embraced data centers before later enacting restrictions on their development amid strong public opposition.

“What I wouldn’t do is offer the richest multinational companies on the planet tax breaks and tax credits from Pennsylvania taxpayers to jam their data centers into Pennsylvania,” said Perry, breaking with Trump, who has championed data centers. “But that’s what the governor did, which I can’t control. And energy is a whole other issue related to this, which he has also screwed up.”

Perry also blamed Shapiro for high power costs, saying the governor had shut down about five gigawatts of baseload power in Pennsylvania.

Shapiro did not shut down five gigawatts of power capacity but is rather looking with his administration to reactivate and redevelop retired power plant capacity to support the state’s electric grid.

Iran war ‘needs to be ended’

While both Stelson and Perry agreed the war in Iran, which has lasted 229 days, should end, they differed on how soon, under what circumstances, and what its impacts on the economy have been.

“Nobody wants to be at war. We don’t want to be at war with Iran, but unfortunately, Iran has declared war on the United States,” said Perry, who served combat missions in Iraq.

But before he is ready to end the war, Perry said, the current regime in Iran can no longer be in charge of governing, nor controlling the Strait of Hormuz — objectives that could take years and require boots on the ground.

The lawmaker also repeatedly contended Iran had declared war first, referring to comments made by the country’s leaders 50 years ago.

Trump initiated the war in coordination with Israel earlier this year with the stated goal of destroying the country’s nuclear capabilities. Perry had trouble in the debate clarifying whether that goal had already been completed or was still underway.

“When they credibly threaten you with nuclear war, something had to be done. Something had to be done, and it has been done. Now it needs to be ended swiftly, and it needs to be ended so that it is permanent,” he said.

Oil from around the region flows through the Strait of Hormuz, and multiple experts have said its sporadic closures have spiked gas prices, including in Pennsylvania. According to AAA, the average cost at the pump in Pennsylvania was $3.15 in February on the day U.S. began airstrikes on Iran. This week, it is $4.46.

Stelson said the war in Iran was the biggest reason for high gas prices, saying it should end “immediately.”

“It’s one of the first things I’d like to take care of if I’m lucky enough to get to Washington,” she said.

Addressing campaign controversies

As she did in her previous run, Stelson attacked Perry for his role in seeking to overturn the 2020 election.

Perry led the unsuccessful motion to block Pennsylvania’s electoral votes hours after a mob of Trump supporters attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in an attempt to prevent certification of Joe Biden’s victory. The attack followed months of conspiracy-mongering by Trump and his allies.

“You are an architect of the deadly insurrection, January 6th. You asked for a presidential pardon because you were so deeply, flat-out …,” Stelson began to say, before Perry interjected.

“That’s a flat-out lie,” he said.

The claim that Perry asked Trump for a pardon comes from congressional testimony by former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, who told the House select committee that investigated the attack that Perry played a central role in crafting Trump’s strategy to remain in office after his electoral loss.

Perry has denied those claims. His cell phone was seized by the Justice Department in 2022 as part of the investigation that followed the attack, but he was never charged with a crime.

“(Former special counsel) Jack Smith weaponized the federal government against its political foes, and I was collateral damage,” he said. “(Stelson) continues to have that narrative that I had anything to do with January 6 when I was inside the Capitol doing my job that the voters elected me to do when the people came into the Capitol.”

Stelson also reminded voters throughout the debate that Perry has not held an in-person, town hall meeting since 2019.

Perry, who said he loves town halls, said he has avoided them because of safety concerns.

“I was told that the last time I wanted to have a town-hall meeting by federal police, that it would be negligent to do so, knowing the credible, viable threats that were present … to people that want to attend.” He said he speaks to constituents every quarter and they are welcome to come into his offices.

Amid the discussion around election security, Perry accused Stelson of harboring an illegal immigrant in her campaign.

Last month, a Nigerian man, whom federal officials say was in the country illegally, was arrested after police say they found him exposing himself in a car. Flyers from Stelson’s campaign were found inside his car. He later pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct.

A news release from Trump’s Department of Homeland Security said the man was working as a canvasser. But Stelson said Wednesday the man was not an employee of her campaign or a volunteer.

“I will say if he’s illegal, and especially if he was committing a crime, then good job on the police department for taking swift action and for getting rid of him,” she said.

_____

©2026 The Philadelphia Inquirer. Visit inquirer.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.