Former WGAL-TV news anchor Janelle Stelson has finally made it official. She is a candidate for the 10th congressional district seat held by Republican Scott Perry.

“I have lived and worked in Central Pennsylvania for nearly 40 years,” said Stelson in her announcement release. “It has been my honor to tell the stories of thousands of people. But there’s one story that’s getting harder to ignore, because it keeps getting worse: Our Congressman, Scott Perry.”

“People around here are better than this. I’ve covered politics for decades doing the job of my dreams as anchor of the most-watched newscast. But I cannot stand by and watch Scott Perry continue to sew chaos, preach extremism, and spout conspiracy theories. So, I am running for Congress.”

Stelson, 63, has been a TV journalist for her entire professional career. A Seattle native, she graduated from the University of Puget Sound and moved to Harrisburg to join WHTM-TV as a reporter and weather anchor. Stelson joined WGAL in 1997 at the news desk with the station’s 11 p.m. show registering the highest ratings in the Lancaster/Harrisburg/York market.

She said her work as a journalist was never about ratings and awards, but about serving her family, friends, and neighbors and provides a glimpse into her rationale for entering the political arena.

“If you’re a Democrat who wants a fierce fighter for workers rights, for civil rights, for abortion rights, I invite you to join my campaign,” she said. “If you are a Republican who values the truth, believes in democracy, and supports funding the police — including the FBI — I invite you to join my campaign. If you are an independent who is fed up with career politicians and a Congressman who refuses to work with others on practical solutions, I invite you to join my campaign.

“Perry is the most extreme MAGA member of Congress and we have the power to fire him, but it will take the right candidate, a strong campaign, and your support.”

Stelson is not the first news personality to run for office in the region. Rep. Patty Kim (D-Dauphin) was a reporter and anchor for WHP-TV in Harrisburg from 2000-04 before running for city council in 2005 and the State House in 2012.

She also has not been a Democrat for very long. Lancaster County records show Stelson was registered in the Republican Party until January 2023, when she switched to Democrat.

Stelson said her position required her to report on politics but not show a partisan viewpoint. She changed parties in part because of her disgust with the Republican Party’s allegiance to former President Donald Trump and because the Democrats provide a better reflection of her views.

She joins an increasingly large field in the 10th District, including Harrisburg city council woman and 2022 nominee Shamaine Daniels, Carlisle school board member Rick Coplen, retired Marine aviator Mike O’Brien, retired Army sergeant Bob Forbes, and political activist Gene Stilp.