PENNSYLVANIA, USA — Pennsylvania Congressman Scott Perry's race against Democrat Janelle Stelson got underway in earnest this week, after the latter earned her party's nomination to represent the 10th Congressional District.
FOX43 spoke with both candidates this week on their positions on some of the biggest topics heading into November, including the economy, abortion, border security and American support for Israel and Ukraine.
On Saturday, the US House approved a $95 billion foreign aid package, including significant aid to both Israel and Ukraine during their respective wars against Hamas and Russia.
A number of conservative Republicans were upset with both the process of the vote, and the content of the bills. 21 Republicans voted against the more than $26 billion package to Israel, and 112 voted against the more than $60 billion package to Ukraine, both of which passed.
Rep. Perry was one of the votes against both aid packages. The bills were put forward by Speaker Mike Johnson in a way which combined the aid bills for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan into a single measure to send to the Senate, a tactic which Perry opposed.
"If you vote for one portion of it, you're essentially approving all of it," Perry said. "I like single subject bills, so I can be counted, I can be evaluated and be accountable for each separate one. So that wasn't the case there on the individual bills."
On the package to Israel, the six-term incumbent Perry says his vote against the package was due to the more than $9 billion earmarked in humanitarian aid for Gaza. The Israeli government has claimed that Palestinian militant group Hamas has been looting and stealing aid intended for Gaza's civilians.
"I've always been a supporter," Perry explained, speaking on Israel. "I voted for aid for Israel and support for Israel every single time. However, I'm going to make a distinction when you're, in the same bill, voting for Hamas. I'm not interested in voting to help Hamas. I don't think it's great to be on both sides of the war."
Stelson, a former WGAL News anchor, says Perry's vote went against every other Republican in the Pennsylvania delegation.
"Scott Perry is so extreme that he voted against every other Republican in Pennsylvania's congressional delegation," Stelson said. "They all voted for this bill. He did not."
Stelson says that while she has not felt good about the situation in Gaza since the October 7 terror attack on Israel carried out by Hamas, she supports both aid to Israel and humanitarian aid to Gaza.
"In terms of democracy, they are our most staunch ally in the Middle East," Stelson said. "And this is a relationship that needs to be preserved. It doesn't matter who is president in either country. We need to stand up for our allies, and our allies need to stand up for us."
On the aid package to Ukraine, Perry says he was uncomfortable sending money to the country without an imminent victory in sight in its war with Russia.
"Nobody agrees with what Russia has done," Perry said. "But at this point, we've spent $113 billion there. We don't know where it's headed. We've asked the President, what is the plan? What is the goal? What is the outcome going to be?"
Stelson says that a vote against aid to Ukraine is a vote to assist Vladamir Putin's wider aspirations.
"If he's successful in Ukraine, how much further will he take it?," Stelson said. "Will he then start eking into our NATO allies. We don't know what's in his mind. But when I see Scott Perry vote against Ukraine and vote for Russia, that's a real problem for me."
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