Scott Perry (politician)
Scott Gordon Perry is the U.S Representative for, serving in Congress since 2013. The district, numbered as the 4th district from 2013 to 2019, includes Harrisburg, York and most of those cities' inner suburbs.
A Republican, he previously served as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 92nd district. Perry is also a retired Pennsylvania Army National Guard Brigadier General.
Early life and education
Perry was born in San Diego, California and his family moved to Pennsylvania when he was seven years old. His mother and stepfather often struggled to find work, and their house had no running water nor electricity. Perry and his brother began working at an early age to help supplement the family income, and from age 13 until he was in his 20s his jobs included fruit picker, draftsman, dockworker, and insurance agent. In 1980, he graduated from Northern High School and the Cumberland-Perry Vo-Tech School. In 1991, he graduated from Pennsylvania State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration Management. In July 2012, he earned a master's degree in strategic planning from the United States Army War College.Military service
Army National Guard
Perry began his military career in 1980 when he enlisted in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. He attended basic training at Fort Dix, New Jersey, and graduated from Advanced Individual Training at Fort Belvoir, Virginia as a technical drafting specialist. He graduated from Pennsylvania's Officer Candidate School and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Field Artillery.After receiving his commission, Perry qualified as a helicopter pilot in the Aviation branch. He served in a variety of staff and command assignments as he advanced through the ranks, including executive officer of 1st Battalion, 104th Cavalry Regiment during deployment to Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2002–2003, and commander of 2nd Battalion, 104th Aviation Regiment beginning in 2008.
War in Iraq
In 2009–2010, Perry commanded 2nd Battalion, 104th Aviation Regiment during its pre-deployment training and service in Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom. As Task Force Diablo, 2-104th Aviation was credited with flying 1,400 missions, accruing over 13,000 combat flight hours, and transporting over 3 million pounds of cargo and 43,000 soldiers and civilians. Perry was credited with flying 44 missions and accruing nearly 200 combat flight hours.Post-Iraq
After returning from Iraq, Perry was promoted to colonel and assigned to command the Pennsylvania National Guard's 166th Regiment . From 2012 to 2014, Perry commanded the garrison at the Fort Indiantown Gap National Training Center. In May 2014, Perry was assigned as one of the assistant division commanders of the 28th Infantry Division, and he was promoted to brigadier general in November 2015. In May 2016, Perry was assigned as assistant adjutant general for Army at the Pennsylvania National Guard's Joint Force Headquarters. He retired from the Pennsylvania National Guard on March 1, 2019.Hydrotech
In 1993, Perry founded Hydrotech Mechanical Services, Inc., a mechanical contracting firm in Dillsburg. The firm provides contract construction and maintenance services to municipal and investor-owned utilities from North Carolina to New York specializing in large meter calibration. In 2002, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection accused the company of altering sewage monitoring reports while doing work for the Memphord Estates Sewage Treatment Company. Perry faced charges of conspiring to falsify state-mandated sewage records. Upon review of the situation and circumstances, he was allowed to complete a diversion program and avoid any charges, which allowed him to keep his U.S security clearance. Perry maintains his innocence.Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Elections
In 2006, State Representative Bruce Smith of Pennsylvania's 92nd House District decided to retire. Perry won the Republican primary with 41% of the vote. He won the general election with 71% of the vote. He took office on January 2, 2007. In 2008, he won re-election to a second term unopposed. In 2010, he won re-election to a third term unopposed.Committee assignments
U.S. House of Representatives
Perry is a member of the Freedom Caucus.In October 2017, in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, Perry accused CNN anchor Chris Cuomo of exaggerating the crisis in Puerto Rico.
In January 2018, Perry suggested that ISIS may have committed the 2017 Las Vegas shooting, in contrast to local and federal law enforcement officials' assertions that it was committed by Stephen Paddock who had no ISIS affiliation.
In December 2019, Perry was one of 195 Republicans who voted in unison against both articles of impeachment against President Trump.
Elections
;2012In 2012, Perry gave up his state house seat to run for the 4th congressional district. The district had previously been the 19th district, represented by six-term incumbent Republican Todd Platts, who was giving up the seat to honor a self-imposed term limit. In 2010, when Platts wanted to become the U.S. Comptroller General, he spoke to Perry about his running for the seat.
Perry won a seven-way primary with over 50% of the vote. Although being outspent nearly 2 to 1 throughout the campaign he was able to beat his closest competitor on election day with nearly 3 times as many votes.
On November 6, 2012, Perry defeated Democrat Harry Perkinson 60%–34%.
;2014
In 2014, Perry was unchallenged in the Republican primary. His Democratic Party challenger in the general election was former mayor of Harrisburg, Linda D. Thompson. Perry won the general election 75%–25%.
;2016
Perry was unchallenged in the 2016 Republican primary. His Democratic Party challenger in the general election was Joshua Burkholder of Harrisburg. Perry won the election 66%–34%.
;2018
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court remapped all of the state's U.S. House districts for elections in 2018. Perry's district was renumbered as the 10th, and made significantly more compact than its predecessor. It lost most of the more rural and Republican areas of York County. To make up for the loss in population, it was pushed slightly to the north, absorbing the remainder of Democratic-leaning Dauphin County that had not been in the old 4th. On paper, the new district was less Republican than its predecessor. Had the district existed in 2016, Donald Trump would have won it with 52 percent of the vote to Hillary Clinton's 43 percent; Trump carried the old 4th with 58 percent of the vote.
Pastor and fellow Army veteran George Scott won the Democratic primary by a narrow margin and challenged Perry in the general election for representation from the renumbered tenth district. The two debated each other in October before Perry won election with 51.3 percent of the vote in November, to Scott's 48.7 percent, with the new district boundaries taking effect in 2019. Perry held on by winning the district's share of his home county, York County, by 11,600 votes, almost double the overall margin of 7,700 votes.
;2020