Justin Douglas receives endorsements in Pa. congressional primary race against Janelle Stelson

Dauphin County Commissioner Justin Douglas faces an uphill battle against frontrunner Janelle Stelson in Pennsylvania’s  10th Congressional District Democratic primary.

But he announced a trio of endorsements Tuesday from groups representing Asian, Black and immigrant communities in Dauphin County.

The organizations are CASA in Action, the political arm of the immigrant and minority advocacy group CASA; One Pennsylvania, who represent working class Black communities in Pennsylvania; and Asian Pacific Islanders Political Alliance (API PA).

“As a grassroots candidate, often those endorsements go one way. They look at your cash on hand and make their decision based on that,” Douglas said. “I’m so grateful for these organizations and the work they do in the community, and the vision that they have for American politics right now to see simply beyond a dollar amount. They see that what we need right now are principled candidates, more than ever.”

Speaking at a press conference, members of the groups endorsing Douglas touted his principals, progressive bona fides, and willingness to work with the district’s minority communities. The 10th includes Dauphin County and portions of Cumberland and York counties.  

Many explicitly positioned him as the best candidate in the race to oppose President Donald Trump’s agenda, citing his record opposing the Trump administration’s immigration agenda.

“This moment demands leadership that’s rooted in solidarity, integrity, and respect for all constituents,” said Executive Director of API PA Mohan Seshadri. “Justin Douglas is the only candidate in this race that has delivered, and will continue to deliver, on promises to stand with our communities through thick and thin.”

Robin Gurung, a Bhutanese refugee from Harrisburg recalled Douglas’ support for his community when members who immigrated as part of a refugee program faced deportation last year.

“Not a single politician dared to speak out against the unjust and unfair detention and deportation of my community, except for Justin Douglas,” he said. “It was Justin who spoke out loud and clear to consistently condemn ICE terror, who drove all the way to Pike County detention center with families to let them meet with their loved ones before they would be separated forever.”

Douglas and Stelson will face off in the May 19 primary for the chance to unseat incumbent Rep. Scott Perry (R-10).

Stelson, a former WGAL television anchor, is widely viewed as the frontrunner. In 2024, she came within two points — or roughly 5,100 votes — of beating Perry, considered one of the more vulnerable Republican incumbents in this year’s congressional elections.

She’s already received endorsements from key Pennsylvania Democrats like Gov. Josh Shapiro, Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, Dauphin County state Senator Patty Kim and Dauphin County state Reps. Nate Davidson, Justin Fleming and Dave Madsen, as well as a number of prominent unions as well.

“Janelle is there for us. She’s a decent, good, honorable person who respects the rule of law and respects you,” Shapiro said in a video endorsing her in the upcoming election. “She’s gonna fight for Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. She’s gonna defend a woman’s right to choose. And she’s gonna always look out for all of you.”

She also raised more money than any congressional candidate in Pennsylvania in the last two quarters of 2025, giving her a significant advantage over Douglas, who has raised less than $85,000 to Stelson’s more than $2 million.

But Douglas, who’s pitching himself as a more progressive candidate, cites his record as successfully flipping a historically-Republican held Dauphin County Commission seat in 2023. 

“Money matters,” he told reporters. “I’m not gonna act like it doesn’t matter, but as a commissioner I was outraised 20-to-one. Go look at my results as a commissioner. I won.”

He attributes Stelson’s fundraising and numerous high-profile endorsements to his relative obscurity for most of the race so far. Stelson was widely seen as the most likely candidate to challenge Perry this year after her narrow loss in 2024. She received Shapiro’s endorsement in July, 2025, before Douglas officially filed to run.

“All endorsements matter  — I do believe they matter — but a lot of those endorsements were made before I got in the race, and these endorsements are being made when the race is clear,” he told the press following Tuesday’s event. “From now until May 19th, we’re gonna do a lot of work together to show PA-10 this is not a decided primary.”

Douglas also accused Stelson of ducking debates with him. He said that she’d opted out of televised debates with ABC27 and CBS13. Neither station’s news desk responded to a request for comment.

“Janelle is focused on doing her job — which is beating Congressman Perry and delivering for the people of Central Pennsylvania — so she will not participate in any effort that distracts from that,” said campaign spokesperson Anna Scheetz. “Instead, Janelle is going to continue listening to people across the district, and talk about her plan to clean up corruption and Perry’s mess in Washington. The reason the Dauphin County Democratic Committee, Governor Josh Shapiro and almost 20 unions representing tens of thousands of working families in Central PA are supporting Janelle Stelson is because they know she is the candidate who will beat Scott Perry.”

But Douglas and members of groups endorsing him highlighted the differences in their stances on immigration.

Douglas has been a vocal opponent of the Trump administration’s mass deportation agenda. As a county commissioner, he worked with members of the Nepalese-speaking Bhutanese community when their family members, who had immigrated as part of a refugee program, faced deportation. He also unsuccessfully advocated for a policy of non-cooperation between Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and local law enforcement in Dauphin County.

Stelson, on the other hand, called for securing the border during her 2024 campaign and deporting those who crossed the border illegally.

Douglas also pitched himself as a working class, anti-corporate candidate.

“Dollars don’t vote, people do,” he said In a thinly-veiled jab at Stelson, “We have handed over so much power — authority — to money. And the more we buy into that or reinforce that, the more we’re not going to get the right candidates in Washington.”

The sentiment was echoed by Tyler Hartl, an organizer with One Pennsylvania, who described Douglas as “committed to fighting billionaires and corruption within politics.”

Mirna Miranda, organizing director with CASA in Action, highlighted Douglas’ commitment to immigrants and the working class as reasons for receiving the group’s endorsement.

“We need a representative that sees our needs and works for the people,” she said. “Justin Douglas has shown he’s serious about transparent government and giving working families a real shot, including immigrants who face so many barriers just to get ahead.”