SEATTLE (AP) — Democrats have won a second key House race in Washington state. It was an open seat in a conservative region that long evaded the party.
Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, an auto-shop owner who describes herself as an independent-minded Democrat, pulled off a victory against Joe Kent, a far-right “America First” ex-Green Beret who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, in southwest Washington’s 3rd Congressional District.
The 3rd District seat became open after Kent defeated Rep. Jamie Herrera Beutler in the Republican primary. Herrera Beutler became a political target of Donald Trump after she was one of the few in the GOP to vote in favor of impeachment over the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Combined with Rep. Kim Schrier’s strong reelection to what Democrats feared was a vulnerable seat in the 8th District, Gluesenkamp Perez’s victory helped buoy party hopes of keeping a majority in the House.
Central Oregon Daily News contributed to this report.
