Democrat Marie Grusenkamp Perez and Republican Joe Kent placed first and second, respectively, in the primary for Washington’s 3rd Congressional District and are scheduled to face off in November.
Washington state has a top-two primary system in which all candidates, regardless of party, appear on the primary ballot and the top two candidates are listed.
Grusenkamp Perez has represented Washington’s 3rd Congressional District since 2022, which consists of Lewis, Pacific, Wahkiakum, Cowlitz, Clark, southwestern Skamania and parts of southern Thurston County.
Two years ago, Gruzenkamp Perez came out of nowhere to defeat Kent, a Trump backer, in a district that hadn’t been Democratic in more than a decade. She took over a seat held by a moderate Republican who lost a primary in part because he voted to impeach Trump after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
Tim Walz Abandons Second Amendment Position, Called a “Political Chameleon”
Washington state uses a top-two voting system. (Getty Images)
Kent, who narrowly lost to Grusenkamp Perez in 2022 by less than 1 percentage point, recently received a second endorsement from President Trump.
“Joe is a Gold Star recipient who bravely served our country as a Special Forces combat veteran,” Trump wrote in his endorsement.
“His opponents cannot compete with Joe in any way! In Congress, Joe will work tirelessly to grow our economy, stop inflation, uphold the rule of law, secure our borders, support our military/veterans, and protect the Second Amendment, which is constantly under attack.”
Obama praises Waltz as ‘ideal’ VP pick for Harris, but subtly criticizes Vance
WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 27 : Rep. Marie Grusenkamp Perez (D-WA) poses for a portrait at the Capitol in Washington, DC, Thursday, July 27, 2023. (Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images) (Javin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Grusenkamp Perez, who is ranked by the Lugar Center and Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy as one of the members with the most bipartisan voting record in the U.S. House of Representatives, has not yet endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president. He told Fox News Digital Late last month, she said she had “no plans” to do so.
Republican Leslie Lewallen and Independent John Sorley Roman also ran in the 3rd District primary.
Click here to get the FOX News app
Republican congressional candidate Joe Kent speaks during a campaign event on Oct. 5, 2022, in Morton, Washington. (Nathan Howard/Getty Images)
Kent faced a tough race against Lewallen, a former King County prosecutor, as he faced growing support from conservatives seeking to return the seat to more moderate Republican hands.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
