Centrist Democratic group seeks moderate Republican or Independent to challenge Freedom Caucus Chair Scott Perry
WelcomePAC has launched a campaign to recruit a moderate Republican or independent to run as a centrist Democratic challenger against Rep. Scott Perry (PA-10) in the 2024 election cycle. The group spent more than $2 million in its inaugural 2022 cycle backing Democrats with Republican backgrounds — and Perry is their first targeted incumbent of the 2024 cycle.
The group kicked off its search for a challenger in Pennsylvania’s 10th district (which includes the cities of Harrisburg, York, and Carlisle) after Perry led the Congressional GOP’s right-wing “Freedom Caucus” in holding up Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s bid for Speaker of the House of Representatives until he conceded to their right-wing demands.
Over the weekend, WelcomePAC began running an online advertisement in PA-10 accusing Perry of “radicalizing Congress” and asking residents if they “know a leader better” to represent them.
“Last week’s meltdown is only the latest reminder that Scott Perry is out of step with voters in his district, even Republican voters,” said Lauren Harper, co-founder of WelcomePAC. “If a middle-of-the-road Republican or independent were to run as a moderate Democrat against Perry, residents of Pennsylvania’s 10th district would finally have a real choice between extremism and sanity.”
PA-10 was featured by WelcomePAC last year as a top district where Democrats were “Conceding Democracy,” a report featured in NBC News and the New York Times. Not only does Perry’s extremism make him vulnerable (he supported Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election and had his phone seized by the FBI in connection to the Jan. 6th attack on the Capitol), but Trump only won the newly drawn district with 51.3% of the vote in 2020.
“Moderates who differentiate from Democrats’ national brand have what it takes to win swing and crossover voters in the middle, especially centrist Republicans and independents,” said Harper. “Who better to keep PA-10 out of the hands of a radical right-wing extremist like Scott Perry than a former Republican or independent running as a moderate, mainstream Democrat?”
With the 2024 election still 22 months away, WelcomePAC’s recruitment effort remains in its early stages.
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About WelcomePAC:
WelcomePAC has been described by the New York Times as “a nascent group that aims to become the Justice Democrats of the political center” and supports a big-tent Democratic Party by recruiting and supporting moderate, mainstream Democratic challengers in winnable but overlooked Republican-held districts and states. Learn more at WelcomePAC.org.