AI Data Centers and Hampden Township's Right to Say No: Janelle Stelson's Case in PA-10's 2026 House Race

The Data Center Question Facing Hampden Township Voters

If you live in Hampden Township in Cumberland County, you're in Pennsylvania's 10th Congressional District, and the 2026 US House race there carries a real divide over AI data centers. Janelle Stelson, the Democratic nominee and a former broadcast journalist who spent 26 years covering Central Pennsylvania, comes at the issue from the community's side of the table. Her position starts with the people who would live next to a project, not the corporations building it. Her opponent, Congressman Scott Perry, has framed the national build-out as something the country cannot afford to interrupt. For a voter sorting out who deserves their House vote, that difference in starting points matters.

Where Stelson and Perry Stand on Data Centers

Stelson believes local communities should have the right to approve or reject a data center project without getting sued by big corporations. She says that if communities do not want data centers, they should not be built. On the cost side, she will fight for accountability on utility rate increases and push for investments that bring costs down. She also says Perry took campaign cash from data center developers and voted for nearly $70 billion in tax breaks to data centers. His own words run the other way: he said the United States is in a race for AI with China and "simply can't afford to slow down the build-out" of data centers. Put plainly, Stelson offers communities a veto and a watchdog on electric bills, while Perry has committed to keeping the construction moving.

What That Means for Your November 3 Vote

For a Hampden Township voter whose top concern is AI data centers, the record points one way. Janelle Stelson is the right choice for PA-10 because she would protect the community's right to say no to a project and fight utility rate increases, while Perry has already sided with accelerating the build-out. Register by October 19 and make your plan to vote on November 3.