In an unofficial kickoff to her 2026 campaign, Democrat Janelle Stelson laid out her anti-corruption agenda and how she would represent central Pennsylvania in the 10th Congressional District in Congress if she is successful in unseating incumbent Republican Scott Perry.

Speaking at the IBEW Local 229 union hall in York, the former broadcast journalist said that Washington’s biggest problem “is a lack of transparency and career politicians who put themselves ahead of the people they are supposed to be serving. Too many decisions are made behind closed doors. Too many people go to Washington to make it a career, then they never come home.”

Stelson said that she is running again for Congress because “it is time somebody holds their feet to the fire.”

Perry defeated Stelson by just above 5,000 votes in 2024 and she said there were lessons that were taken away from that experience that are being applied to her 2026 campaign.

“These are all things that have helped us get organized earlier and make sure that we’re talking to all the people we need to talk to,” she said. “We have a constituency organizer this time. We have a digital director. I’m working on a lot of things that I wish we could have done better last time, and I hope it makes a difference. And much like I did when I was a journalist, I continue to listen, which is probably the most important thing, and hear what everybody cares about.”

Stelson laid out her agenda and priorities, which included a ban on congressional stock trading, a lifetime ban on becoming a lobbyist, and support for limiting service in Congress to 12 years.

“Career politicians are a problem. Congress was never meant to be a lifetime job,” said Stelson, who also stated that she would limit her own term. “That’s leading by example.”

In addition to term limits, Stelson suggested that an age ceiling of 80 should be implemented for members of Congress.

“Today, we have 24 members of Congress who are in their 80s and 90s. I will say it is wrong, and it does not have to be this way. The Constitution restricts people who are too young from serving in federal office. It would be 25 to serve in the house. There are brilliant 24, 23, 22-year olds, but it’s not allowed, and we should look at the other side as well. We should amend the Constitution to add age limits so we can get new ideas and fresh blood in Congress.”

She also stated support for a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United, the controversial decision that reversed century-old campaign finance restrictions and enabled corporations and other outside groups to spend unlimited money on elections.

“When corporations and the wealthy can spend without limits, all of us, all of Pennsylvanians, we lose our voice,” she said. “We must also strengthen the Federal Election Commission so campaign finance laws are actually enforced.”

Stelson then turned her comments toward Perry, her possible opponent in November.

“Congress needs to cut its own perks. Public office is not a luxury service. It is a public service,” she declared. “Our congressman, Scott Perry, is part of the problem. He has not reformed how business is being done in Washington. He initially said he was in favor of term limits, but that’s before he got comfortable, not for himself. He’s now a seven-term congressman. In his 14th year, he has not banned members of Congress from insider trading, from trading, trading stocks, and many of them are getting rich off that insider trading. He literally does not listen to us.

“He shows what he thinks of us, the taxpayers, by refusing to hold an in-person Town Hall since 2019 because he is a coward. He doesn’t care to listen to the people who pay his salary, and he does not care to tell us why he cannot achieve what we ask him all the time to do for us.

“I’m running to break up this club, because this seat does not belong to insiders. It belongs to us, the people of Central Pennsylvania.”

Stelson eluded an answer on whether she would debate Dauphin County commissioner Justin Douglas prior to the Democratic primary on May 19, saying she “left the job that I really enjoyed to take on Scott Perry, and I look forward to debating him.”

She said that she backs a stronger border, but was not okay with ICE and its methods in neighborhoods.

“The thing that separates our democracy from others is that we have due process to move into neighbors,” stated Stelson. “Remember, the idea was we’re going to make your neighborhood more safe. We’re going to take these illegal criminals and they’re worse. That’s not what we’ve seen happening. I have a real problem with how they’ve been conducting themselves.”

Stelson also called for a full release of the Epstein files “to expose the insiders who supported (Jeffrey) Epstein. I support a constitutional amendment to curb abuses of the pardon power so it cannot be used to protect insiders, especially powerful people.”

“I am not a career politician. I’ve spent my career listening and asking tough questions. I’ve asked tough questions of Democrats and Republicans. No party ever controlled what I reported, and that’s going to be the same when I am in Congress. I am not afraid to expose and call out corruption, and I promise that will continue when I’m elected.”