The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) attacked Democrat Janelle Stelson in a statement this week as polling suggests she is in striking distance of unseating GOP Representative Scott Perry in a traditionally conservative seat based around Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. DHS issued a press release on Wednesday, accusing Stelson’s campaign of employing an undocumented immigrant, who allegedly exposed himself in public, as a canvasser. Chimaobim Adedayo Igbojekwe was arrested by U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on October 1 after he pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct, DHS said. ICE Deputy Director Charles Wall wrote in the statement that it is “unbelievable that Janelle Stelson would employ an illegal alien to work on a Congressional campaign, let alone a pervert who exposed himself in public.” According to DHS, Igbojekwe was lawfully admitted to the U.S. in June 2017, but remained in the country after his authorized period expired in November 2019. He was granted deferred action by the Biden administration in September 2021, the department added.
Stelson’s campaign denied employing the individual in remarks to the . We are grateful to law enforcement for acting swiftly to arrest him.” The attack comes as the race in Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional District has become a critical midterm battleground. The district has historically favored Republicans but has become more purple over the past decade.
The race is a rematch of 2024, when Perry defeated Stelson by only a single percentage point. Democrats are hoping to reclaim the majority of seats in the House of Representatives, and Pennsylvania's 10th Congressional District is seen as one of their top pickup opportunities. Democrats believe the favorable national environment will carry Stelson, a former TV news anchor, across the finish line against Perry, a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus.
Mallinson, professor of public policy and administration at Penn State Harrisburg, told Newsweek the race is “incredibly competitive.” “Stelson lost in 2024 by less than a percentage point. That is the closest a challenger has come to unseating Representative Scott Perry since he was elected to Congress. The political dynamics are even more favorable to Stelson in this election than they were then, which means it is going to be highly competitive again,” he said.
Newsweek reached out to the Perry and Stelson campaigns for comment via email. The latest polling in the race gave Stelson an advantage. A Franklin & Marshall College poll conducted from September 9 to 20 showed her up 3 points, 47 percent to 44 percent, among 378 registered voters.
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