Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez will face Trump-endorsed Republican Joe Kent for Washington’s 3rd congressional seat in November.
New vote counts pushed Kent into second place Monday, prompting GOP incumbent Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler to concede Tuesday, as the gap continued to grow. Gluesenkamp Perez finished with 31.07% of the vote. Kent earned 22.74%, and Herrera Beutler 22.31%.
Washington State Democratic Party Chair Tina Podlodowski released the following statement early Wednesday in response to the primary result:
“There are few candidates more unfit for public office than Joe Kent, except Donald Trump, himself. Kent was endorsed for a reason. He shares the same hateful, extreme beliefs as Trump — beliefs that led to the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection, which Kent called a ‘phony riot.’
“But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Kent is connected to a number of white nationalists, like Nick Fuentes, Patriot Prayer’s Joey Gibson, Oath Keeper and Arizona state Sen. Wendy Rodgers, and even had a Proud Boy on his payroll. And if that weren’t damning enough, he has repeatedly advocated for ‘white replacement,’ the conspiracy nonwhite immigrants are being brought into the U.S. to replace white people — part of why Kent wants to ban virtually all immigration, including refugee resettlement from Afghanistan and Ukraine.
“The examples of Kent’s xenophobia and gross extremism are numerous. He is not only the antithesis of our Democratic values, but of American values.
“Voters in the 3rd Congressional District deserve better than a far-right extremist. They deserve real representation; they deserve — and need — Marie Gluesenkamp Perez in Congress. As a small-business owner and mother, Marie is intimately aware of the struggles working people and families face each day. And she is the only candidate in this race who will fight to protect our freedom to vote, access to abortion, democracy itself, and so much more.
“At the state party, we are committed to ensuring Marie has the support needed to cross that finish line in November, keeping MAGA Republicans like Kent out of office and giving the 3rd a much-needed congressional champion.”
