Six candidates are running in the Democratic primary election for Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional District on April 23, 2024: John Broadhurst, Rick Coplen, Shamaine Daniels, Blake Lynch, Mike O’Brien, and Janelle Stelson. The winner will face incumbent Scott Perry (R) in the November general election.
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Suzan DelBene said Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional district was one of 33 competitive Republican-held seats the party is targeting in the November 2024 elections. Perry is in his sixth term in Congress. He won the previous three general elections by single digits, increasing his margin-of-victory in each election from 2.6 to 6.6 to 8 percentage points.
As of Dec. 31, 2023, O’Brien and Stelson lead the field in campaign financing with $186,352 and $140,288 cash on hand, respectively. That was more than six times the amount Lynch raised, who had the next most cash on hand, with $21,890.
Daniels defeated Coplen in the 2022 Democratic primary 52.6% to 47.4%. Daniels then lost to Perry in the general election 53.8% to 46.2%.
In a debate on March 6, none of the candidates criticized each other’s positions. They all attacked Perry’s record, though Broadhurst said he would not base his campaign on “anti-Trump or anti-Perry sentiment alone.”
All of the candidates supported abortion access in all cases. Daniels, Stelson, and Coplen supported raising the minimum wage to at least $15 per hour. O’Brien also supported raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour, but specified the value should be indexed to inflation. Lynch and Broadhurst said the minimum wage should be increased to a living wage of more than $15. O’Brien and Lynch were the only candidates who did not support a federal assault weapon ban, though O’Brien said he supported stopping the sale and transfer of those weapons, while Lynch said he believed there should be increased regulations.
