Washington state Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez holds on to House seat, narrowly defeating GOP challenger

Democratic Congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp Perez is projected to win re-election in Washington state’s closely watched 3rd Congressional District.

Gluesenkamp Perez has defeated Republican challenger Joe Kent for the second time in two House cycles, The Associated Press reported Saturday.

Gluesenkamp Perez, who was elected to represent the 3rd District in the southwest part of the state bordering Portland, Oregon, was widely viewed as one of the most vulnerable Democrats in the House after winning her 2022 race by less than 2 points.

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Gluesenkamp Perez, running in a district with a significant Republican voter presence, notably declined to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris.

The Republican-leaning district featuring sprawling farmlands as well as the suburbs of Portland, narrowly went for Trump in 2020, making it a crucial target for the GOP this year.

Gluesenkamp Perez had sought to showcase herself as an independent-minded moderate. Her actions during her tenure have ranged from co-sponsoring a bill to protect medication abortion to voting in favor of a resolution rebuking Harris’ role in the handling of the U.S.-Mexico border. She was also ranked by the Lugar Center and the Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy as having one of the most bipartisan voting records in the U.S. House.

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Kent, a former Green Beret, blamed his opponent on the campaign trail for her support of a variety of Biden policy items and cited inflation and illegal immigration as top concerns.

Two years ago, Gluesenkamp Perez came out of nowhere to win a congressional seat against Kent, who had Trump’s backing in a district that hadn’t been in Democratic hands for over a decade. She took over a seat held by a more moderate Republican who lost the primary in part because she voted to impeach Trump after the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill riot.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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