Democrat Gluesenkamp Perez beats Kent for big House win in Washington state
SEATTLE — Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez has been elected to the U.S. House, capturing a district in southwestern Washington state that has long eluded her party.
She defeated Republican Joe Kent, who ran with former President Trump’s backing, to prevail in the 3rd District.
The incumbent, longtime GOP Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, lost in the primary. She was one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump over the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Gluesenkamp Perez — who co-owns an auto shop with her husband just across the Columbia River in Portland, Ore. — said that as a small-business owner who lives in a rural part of the district, she is more in line with voters.
She supports abortion access and policies to counter climate change, but also is a gun owner. She has said she opposes a ban on assault rifles, but supports raising the age to purchase such guns to 21.
“I am not your typical Democrat,” she has told voters.
Kent, a former Green Beret who is a regular on conservative cable and podcasts, has called for the impeachment of President Biden and an investigation into the 2020 election.
He has also railed against COVID-19 shutdowns and vaccine mandates, and called for defunding the FBI after the search for classified documents at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home.
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