The non-partisan Cook Political Report has shifted Rep. Scott Perry’s (R-Pa.) race toward Democrats, calling the contest a toss-up on Friday.
Perry is in a competitive race with Democrat Janelle Stelson in a battle that Cook previously had rated as lean Republican.
“While the political environment should still favor Perry, his unique vulnerabilities, coupled with Democrats’ spending advantage, moves this race from Lean Republican to Toss Up,” wrote Cook’s Erin Covey.
Perry has been a subject of interest in the Justice Department’s probe looking into former President Trump and his allies’ efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
Stelson has hit Perry on that issue, and has also made abortion rights a central message of her campaign in a district that has become more and more purple.
Stelson raised $1.3 million during the second quarter and ended the period with more than $1.1 million cash on hand. Perry raised $625,000 during the same period and ended the quarter with $790,000 in the bank.
The Democrat is well-known in the district. She was a registered Republican until early last year, and worked as a news anchor at WGAL. The anchor-turned-politician has said she decided to challenge Perry after she read the news of the Roe v. Wade decision being overturned in 2022 by the Supreme Court.
Former President Trump, who won Perry’s district by 4 points in 2016, is on track to win it again, Covey wrote, but Perry appears to be trailing behind the former president.
The Hill/Decision Desk HQ’s average of polls shows Perry leading Stelson, 51 percent to 49 percent.
