GOP lawmaker tied to Jan 6 insurrection on the ropes in re-election bid: report

The former head of the far-right House Freedom Caucus who had his phone confiscated after the January 6 insurrection in 2021 is facing the possibility he could lose his seat to a popular news anchor in November.

According to a report from CBS News, Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA) may see his six terms in Congress come to an end representing a district that has grown less conservative while he has been in office.

While he won in 2022 by a comfortable seven points, Democrats believe that longtime TV anchor Janelle Stelson has the popularity and name recognition to send Perry packing.

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As CBS is reporting, "Through the end of June, federal campaign finance records showed Perry with a large spending advantage for the entire cycle, compared to his Democratic challenger. But those latest filings also indicated Perry was trailing in cash on hand and his reelection bid, having directed a sizable amount of his campaign funding toward legal counsel."

That has local Democrats liking their chances in what is expected to be a high turnout election turnout with the White House also on the line.

"We were able to outraise the six-term incumbent last quarter by double, making the most vulnerable MAGA extremist in Congress even more vulnerable," Perry's Democratic opponent stated, with CBS adding, "Stelson's unique background adds a variable to the race. As a longtime TV anchor on the local NBC affiliate station, Stelson has visibility that transcends that of other political candidates. She has emphasized her name recognition in campaign ads, speeches and in her interview with CBS News."

New York Magazine's Intelligencer also recently focused on this particular Pennsylvania match-up, with reporter Ben Jacobs writing, "Perry is the only member of the Freedom Caucus to represent a swing district and, despite that, he has not changed his political views an iota even though the swath of central Pennsylvania he’s represented for six terms has become more moderate," and then adding, "Both Democratic and Republican operatives believe he’s uniquely vulnerable as the district’s political make-up shifts. Dauphin County, surrounding Harrisburg, was won only twice by Democratic presidential candidates in the 20th century, but Democrats have held it in every election since Barack Obama won it in 2008 and have steadily made gains down-ballot, such as winning the county courthouse last year for the first time in over a century."

According to The Hill, Stelson currently holds a slim lead over the incumbent Perry with 48.2 percent of the vote to his 47.4 with the election just five weeks away.

You can read more from CBS here.