Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez has been projected by Decision Desk HQ to win a second term representing Washington’s 3rd Congressional District. In a closely contested rematch, Gluesenkamp Perez once more defeated Republican Joe Kent, a former Green Beret endorsed by Trump, thereby keeping the southwestern Washington seat under Democratic control, two years after her surprising initial victory.
During the previous midterm elections, Kent had ousted then-Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, a Republican who had been one of a few House GOP members to vote in favor of Trump’s impeachment. Despite his primary win, Kent fell to Gluesenkamp Perez in the general election.
Joe Kent’s challenge falls short as Gluesenkamp Perez wins re-election in Washington’s 3rd District
In this election, Gluesenkamp Perez was one of only a handful of House Democrats running for reelection in a district Trump had won in 2020. Kent centered his campaign around his support for Trump, seeking to tie Gluesenkamp Perez to the Biden administration and progressive policies, a particular focus due to the district’s proximity to Portland, Oregon.
Gluesenkamp Perez countered by emphasizing her bipartisan record in Congress and criticized Kent, labeling him “the same strange, angry, dangerous bonafide white nationalist I defeated last time.”
According to the 2023 Bipartisan Index from the Lugar Center and Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy, she ranks among the top 20 House members for reaching across the aisle on legislative matters.
