One of the most competitive races in the country is playing out in southwest Washington, where an incumbent Democrat is defending her seat against a Trump-endorsed Republican challenger.
“ I’ve proven over and over that I am loyal to the soil, I am loyal to people, I’m loyal to my community,” said U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, who is running for re-election in the 3rd Congressional District, during a conversation with “Soundside.”
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In the interview, which aired Monday, Oct. 19, Gluesenkamp Perez addressed her voting record, progressivism in the Democratic Party, and the ballot initiative to ban trans athletes in girls’ sports.
The 3rd Congressional District covers Clark, Cowlitz, Lewis, Pacific, Wahkiakum, and Skamania counties. It also includes a small part of Thurston County.
The fight to represent the region is complicated and slightly unpredictable. Voters have consistently cast their ballots for Donald Trump in past presidential elections, but they have twice elected Democrat Gluesenkamp Perez to represent them over a Republican. It’s one of the few swing seats left in the country and polling shows that the race for it is a close one.
In past elections, incumbent Gluesenkamp Perez went head to head with Joe Kent, a Republican who leaned more into the GOP’s hard-right faction. This time, she is facing off against a moderate Republican challenger: state Sen. Minority Leader John Braun.
“ There’s a lot of folks who are a little frustrated, and they want someone focused more on the things that are affecting their lives,” Braun said in a “Soundside” interview that touched on the president’s endorsement of him, the war in Iran, and tariffs.
Both candidates are performing a bit of a balancing act as they try to appeal to voters in the district.
Braun’s endorsement from Trump, for example, could help him curry favor among Republicans who view him as too middle of the road, but it could also alienate people who have negative views of the president. A September poll commissioned by Oregon Public Broadcasting found that 58% of likely voters had a negative view of Trump.
On the other hand, Gluesenkamp Perez has a reputation for crossing party lines and voting alongside Republicans, which has often been met with frustration from her base.
This year, she’s defending her record amid a growing appetite for progressivism that’s playing out across the country: During the primary, progressive challenger Brent Hennrich won more than 16% of voters in the district.
Gluesenkamp Perez and Braun have lobbed accusations at each other in the run-up to this year’s election. The incumbent has argued that Braun will be indebted to the president for his support in the race.
“Senator Braun has taken Trump’s endorsement and his millions of dollars,” Gluesenkamp Perez said. “And he will be a rubber stamp for this administration.”
Braun, meanwhile, has said that Gluesenkamp Perez hasn’t done enough for the people of the 3rd Congressional District.
“The things [Gluesenkamp Perez has] worked on, whether it’s a bill or an amendment, have been on the margins,” Braun said. “They haven’t been the big things that make a long-term difference in the lives of folks in southwest Washington, around Washington, around our country.”
While the debate continues with just over two weeks to go until Election Day, both candidates are facing uncertainty. The poll commissioned by Oregon Public Broadcasting found that 47% of likely voters in the district had a negative view of Braun, while 60% had a negative view of Gluesenkamp Perez.
Ballots for the congressional race and others across the state were mailed out last Friday. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
