Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez has won a third term in Washington’s 3rd Congressional District, defeating Republican state Sen. John Braun. The win came in a district carried by President Donald Trump in 2024.
Her victory gives House Democrats a boost as they try to regain control of Congress. It may also complicate party leaders’ efforts to keep Democrats unified on key votes over the next two years.
Gluesenkamp Perez has sometimes broken with her party, drawing particular anger from fellow Democrats in September. She joined Republicans on two procedural votes that helped GOP leaders move their agenda forward after conservative defections threatened to stall it. Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, also voted with Republicans.
After the first vote, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called her action a “breach of trust.” Some progressive lawmakers also called for her removal from the House Appropriations Committee.
Still, taking a more independent stance may have helped Gluesenkamp Perez hold onto her seat. Trump won the district by about three percentage points in 2024, and the Democrat had first won the seat by unseating a Republican incumbent.
The district includes rural communities, the city of Vancouver and smaller coastal towns in southwestern Washington.
Her earlier races were also shaped by her Republican opponent, Joe Kent, whose ties to far-right groups raised questions about his broader appeal. Kent later served as director of the National Counterterrorism Center under Trump, then resigned over disagreements about Middle East policy.
This year’s contest was expected to be tighter, with Braun seen as a more conventional Republican candidate. A former Navy captain, he also helps run his family’s emergency-vehicle manufacturing company, Braun Northwest.
More than $20 million was spent on the race, underscoring how closely both parties were watching it.
