One of the more-closely watched Congressional races this fall will be in Pennsylvania’s 10th District, as incumbent Rep. Scott Perry will look to fend off a challenge from a yet-to-be-determined Democrat.

Now that the fourth quarter fundraising numbers are in (October 1-December 31), the numbers indicate that Perry’s legal concerns have been a drain on his cash on hand, while a pair of Democratic candidates may be pulling away from the rest of the field.

Is Perry’s Support of Trump Catching Up To Him?

The third-term congressman reported raising more than $402,000 in Q4, but also submitted expenses exceeding $396K to add only $6,068.80 to his campaign coffers that totals $547,158.56.

Perry’s 410-page report shows small individual contributions totaling $228,946.55 with an additional $153,225.99 in unitemized contributions. He also brought in $19,500 from political action committees.

Craig Ritter, CEO of Ritter Insurance Marketing in Harrisburg, and his wife, Heidi, were among the largest individual contributors at $12,800. Among political action committees, Perry’s campaign received contributions from Mike Huckabee’s Huck PAC ($5,000), AT&T Employee PAC ($2,500), and Seal PAC ($2,500) – committed to electing conservative military veterans.

Direct mail fundraising and mail services were the largest expense for the campaign, as Consolidated Mailing Services of Sterling, Va. ($76,238.83), Image Direct of Frederick, Md. ($39,766.45), and Direct Support Systems, Inc. of Fairfax, Va ($37,332.18) billed for $153,337.46 for their fundraising services.

Planet Direct, Inc. of Manassas, Va. received $79,652.06 for its direct mail services, while Ignite Strategies LLC of Harrisburg received $53,095.24 for political strategy and fundraising consulting services. Brabender Cox of Pittsburgh received $27,000 for digital consulting.

But it was $75,000 that was paid to J.P. Rowley Law LLC in Washington that opened many eyes and raised speculation that Perry’s support of former President Donald Trump and the legal machinations surrounding January 6 have entangled the retired U.S. Army National Guard brigadier general.

Stelson’s Name Recognition

Former WGAL-TV news anchor Janelle Stelson‘s initial foray into fundraising turned out to be beneficial, as the 63-year-old political newcomer brought in $280,536.45 and has $140,287.87 entering the calendar year 2024.

Charles Allen, an attorney with Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP is the largest individual contributor at $6,600, while the campaign accepted just $500 from one political action committee – Kutak Rock LLP PAC.

Stelson’s campaign spent $142,925.66 – the majority of which was allocated to SB Digital in Washington, D.C. for digital ads ($45,812). An additional $15,590 was spent on video production with Technicolor Political in Chicago, while Rise Political Strategies LLC in Elkins Park received $13,500 for fundraising consulting.

Top Gun Instructor Right On Heels

Mike O’Brien, a former Top Gun pilot and instructor, also showed a propensity for fundraising, pulling in $255,210.55, while the campaign spent $205,677.37 for a total on hand of $186,351.78.

O’Brien secured 97 percent of his gifts from non-political action committees and received $10,200 from PACs, including $5,000 from Smart TD PAC, representing railroad workers, and $2,500 from Vote Vets, whose mission is to elect veterans to public office.

Other Democratic Candidates

Former WITF executive Blake Lynch was third in the Democrats’ Q4 fundraising haul at $54,483. He has just under $22,000 on hand for the first quarter. Harrisburg City Council member Shamaine Daniels, the 2022 Democratic candidate for the district post, received a disappointing $12,951.43, while Rick Coplen, a retired Army officer whom she defeated in the 2022 primary, collected $12,342. Businessman John Broadhurst trailed the field at $10,615, while the seventh candidate – Bob Forbes – did not have a report online as of this writing.