Scott Perry Bio
Scott Gordon Perry (born May 27, 1962) is an American politician and retired Army National Guard brigadier general. He has served as the U.S. representative for Pennsylvania’s 10th congressional district since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, Perry previously represented the district when it was numbered the 4th from 2013 to 2019.
Perry is known for his military aviation background, having served more than three decades in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard with command tours in Bosnia and Iraq before retiring in 2019. He is also known as a member and former chair of the House Freedom Caucus.
Early Life and Background
Scott Gordon Perry was born in San Diego, California, to Cecile Lenig and Jim Perry. His grandparents were Colombian immigrants. His mother worked as a flight attendant and left an abusive relationship with his father shortly after he was born. When he was seven, she moved with him and his brother to south-central Pennsylvania, where the family lived first in Harrisburg and then in Dillsburg.
Perry and his family relied on public assistance for several years during his youth. He grew up in a modest home that initially lacked electricity and plumbing, pumping water from a well and cutting firewood with his older brother in the winter. When he was eleven years old, his mother married his stepfather, Daniel Chimel, an airplane pilot and air traffic controller. In 1980, Perry graduated from Northern High School in Dillsburg and from Cumberland-Perry Vo-Tech School.
He worked his first job at age thirteen, picking fruit at Ashcombe’s Farm in Mechanicsburg, and later worked as a mechanic, dock worker, draftsman, and licensed insurance agent. He earned an associate’s degree from Harrisburg Area Community College and a Bachelor of Science in business administration and management from Pennsylvania State University in 1991, putting himself through school while working full-time. In 2012, he received a Master of Science in strategic planning from the United States Army War College.
Path to US Politics
After college, Perry co-founded a mechanical contracting business, Hydrotech Mechanical Services, and served on local boards, including the Carroll Township Planning Commission and the Dillsburg Area Wellhead Protection Advisory Committee. He became active in civic organizations such as the Jaycees, the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the Lions Club, eventually serving as regional director for the state Jaycees organization.
Perry’s entry into elected office came in 2006, when he won the Republican primary for Pennsylvania’s 92nd House district with 41 percent of the vote and won the general election with 71 percent, taking office on January 2, 2007. He was reelected unopposed in 2008 and 2010, gaining a reputation as a reliable conservative voice in the state legislature.
In 2012, Perry gave up his state house seat to run for the 4th congressional district after six-term incumbent Todd Platts honored a self-imposed term limit. He won a seven-way Republican primary with more than 50 percent of the vote, despite being outspent nearly two to one, and went on to win the general election 60 percent to 34 percent, launching his career in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Scott Perry Career
Early Career (2007–2012)
Perry began his political career in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, representing the 92nd district from 2007 to 2012. During his three terms, he built a conservative record that resonated with voters in his south-central Pennsylvania district, and he was reelected without opposition in both 2008 and 2010.
His early legislative work focused on local issues, including water protection and community development in the Dillsburg area, building on his prior service on the Carroll Township Planning Commission and the Township Source Water Protection Committee. These experiences helped him develop relationships across the region and laid the groundwork for his later move to federal office.
U.S. House Breakthrough (2013–2018)
After winning the 4th congressional district in 2012, Perry took office in January 2013 and was reelected three times in the seat, running unopposed in the 2014 and 2016 Republican primaries and winning the 2014 general election 75 percent to 25 percent. He quickly aligned himself with the most conservative members of the House Republican conference.
By 2017, Perry had emerged as a vocal critic of mainstream media coverage and a frequent commentator on national security matters. In October 2017, after Hurricane Maria, he accused CNN anchor Chris Cuomo of exaggerating the crisis in Puerto Rico. In January 2018, he suggested that ISIS might have been involved in the 2017 Las Vegas shooting, despite authorities saying gunman Stephen Paddock acted alone.
House Freedom Caucus Era (2019–Present)
After the Pennsylvania Supreme Court redrew the congressional map in 2018, Perry’s district was renumbered the 10th, and he won the new seat in 2018 with 51.3 percent of the vote against Democrat George Scott. In November 2021, he was elected chair of the House Freedom Caucus, the most conservative House Republican group, succeeding Andy Biggs in January 2022 and serving through 2023, when Bob Good took over as chair.
Perry has been a leading voice in the caucus on a range of issues. In December 2019, he was one of 195 Republicans to vote against both articles of impeachment against President Trump. He voted against the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and against a resolution to award a Congressional Gold Medal to police officers who defended the Capitol on January 6. He also participated in the 47 House Republicans who voted for the Respect for Marriage Act in July 2022, though he reversed course and voted against the final version in December 2022, calling his initial vote a mistake.
Notable Events and Milestones
Perry played a central role in efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, including by attempting to replace Pennsylvania’s slate of electors. He was one of 126 Republican House members to sign an amicus brief supporting Texas v. Pennsylvania, and he joined Senator Josh Hawley in objecting to Pennsylvania’s electoral votes on January 6, 2021. The House Select Committee investigating the January 6 attack sought to question him about his role in efforts to install Jeffrey Clark as acting attorney general, leading to his referral to the House Ethics Panel after the November 2022 elections.
Scott Perry Career Wins
Perry has compiled a long record of electoral victories spanning the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and the U.S. House of Representatives. His wins include three terms in the state legislature and six consecutive terms in Congress, often with commanding margins in both primaries and general elections.
Congressional Election Highlights
Perry first won Pennsylvania’s 4th congressional district in 2012 with 60 percent of the vote and was reelected in 2014 with 75 percent. He won the renumbered 10th district in 2018 with 51.3 percent, in 2020 with 53.3 percent, in 2022 with 54 percent, and in 2024 with 50.6 percent against Democrat Janelle Stelson in a closely watched race. He is running for reelection in 2026.
Other Wins & Achievements
Beyond electoral success, Perry achieved the rank of brigadier general during his more than three decades in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, retiring in 2019. He earned a Master of Science in strategic planning from the U.S. Army War College and chaired the House Freedom Caucus from 2022 to 2023.
Scott Perry Family
Family Background and Lineage
Perry’s grandparents were Colombian immigrants. His mother, Cecile Lenig, was a flight attendant, and his father, Jim Perry, separated from the family when Scott was young. After his mother remarried, his stepfather, Daniel Chimel, an airplane pilot and air traffic controller, became a formative influence and helped spark Perry’s later career in military aviation.
Personal Life
Perry and his wife, Christy, reside in northern York County, Pennsylvania. The couple has two children. Perry remains active in veterans and civic organizations, including the Dillsburg American Legion Post, Dillsburg Veterans of Foreign Wars Post, and Lions Club International.