Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez is projected to win a third term, overcoming a tough challenge in a Washington district that Donald Trump carried in 2024. The Democrat has twice broken with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and her win could give her party an important seat as it tries to regain control of the House.
Her victory may also complicate matters for Democratic leaders. Gluesenkamp Perez has a record of crossing party lines, including two September procedural votes where she joined Republicans and helped them advance their agenda after conservative members rebelled.
Without her support, along with that of Rep. Jared Golden of Maine, Republicans could have seen their plans stall. Jeffries publicly criticized Gluesenkamp Perez after the first vote, calling it a “breach of trust.” Some progressive lawmakers also urged that she be removed from the House Appropriations Committee.
Still, her willingness to break with Democrats may have helped her politically. Trump won Washington’s 3rd Congressional District by about three percentage points in 2024, and the district includes rural communities, Vancouver and smaller coastal towns in the state’s southwest.
Gluesenkamp Perez’s earlier victories were aided in part by her Republican opponent, Joe Kent, whose ties to far-right groups raised questions about his appeal to voters. Kent later became director of the National Counterterrorism Center under Trump, then resigned over disagreements about Middle East policy.
This race was expected to be closer, with Republican state Sen. John Braun presenting himself as a more conventional candidate. A former Navy captain, Braun also helps run his family’s emergency-vehicle manufacturing company, Braun Northwest.
More than $20 million was spent on the contest, reflecting how much both parties saw at stake.
