From immigrant to U.S. Congress? Shamaine Daniels’ challenge to Scott Perry
Shamaine Daniels arrived in America in a moment of crisis.
She left Venezuela as a teenager with her family in 1991, amid a wave of violent protest against government corruption and abuses from law enforcement — and shortly before a failed coup attempt in the South American nation.
“While we were middle-class and for the most part had a good life, there was also a lot of instability,” remembers Daniels, now 43. “My parents eventually made the choice to pursue a better life for me and my brothers in Philadelphia.”
In the decades since, Daniels pursued the American dream, earning a law degree from the University of Cincinnati, rising to prominence as a nationally recognized immigration attorney and, ultimately, finding her voice in local politics.
Now, America is itself at a crossroads and so is Daniels.
In November, the Democrat who’s served three terms as a Harrisburg city council member will face off against incumbent U.S. Rep. Scott Perry, the York County Republican who’s among the most prominent figures involved in challenging the 2020 election.
“I have a record of solving problems,” Daniels said, in a recent interview, “and I think that’s what voters are interested in this fall.”
But she faces an uphill battle.
Perry, whose name repeatedly came up in hearings of the committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, has held onto his 10th Congressional district seat against better-known and better-funded challengers — even during the Democratic wave elections of 2018 and 2020.
According to Federal Election Commission reports, Daniels had just shy of $14,000 in cash on hand as of April 27 compared to Perry’s nearly $800,000.
By comparison, former state Auditor General Eugene DePasquale had raised $657,000 at the same point in his 2020 campaign against Perry. That November, DePaquale lost to the four-term incumbent Republican by nearly 7 percentage points.
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And, after the most recent redistricting, the new 10th district lines grew a shade redder. According to a FiveThirtyEight analysis, the district’s partisan makeup shifted one percentage point toward the GOP, at R+9, compared to the 2018 map.
Daniels’ friends and colleagues, however, believe she’s up for the challenge.
“We could use someone like Shamaine fighting for us,” said Alex Reber, who met her while they were both organizing for local feminist and Democratic causes.
Rogette Harris, another longtime friend and chair of the Dauphin County Democratic Committee, said Daniels entered politics for the right reasons. They met in 2011 when Harris ran for register of wills and Daniels for clerk of courts.
“Shamaine is one of the most genuine people I’ve ever met,” Harris said, “and when you think about it, she encompasses the American story.
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Daniels said she’s heard too many people talk down about central Pennsylvania — using the derogatory term “Pennsyltucky” to describe the more conservative-leaning swath of territory…
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