In one of the country's closest watched congressional races, freshman Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Skamania, currently leads Republican challenger Joe Kent.
In a rematch of a narrow outcome two years ago, a successful reelection campaign by Gluesenkamp Perez could offer a bright spot for Democrats on a night when the party struggled across the country.
As of Tuesday night’s tally, Gluesenkamp Perez had received 51.78%, or 155,231 votes, to Kent’s 47.84%, 143,433 votes, in a race both parties indicated was key in winning a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. Gluesenkamp Perez defeated Kent by about 2,600 votes in 2022.
During an election night party in Vancouver Tuesday evening, Gluesenkamp Perez told her supporters that while the final election results aren’t known, “we do know that someone like me, a mom who works in the trades, would have never gotten to Congress without all of you.”
“I am so profoundly grateful for all of you,” she said.
On the campaign trail, Gluesenkamp Perez touted her work to reduce regulatory red tape and a desire to represent Southwest Washington in the nation’s capital, work that she again cited Tuesday night.
“I'm in this race to represent us,” Gluesenkamp Perez said.
Gluesenkamp Perez has cited her desire to work across the aisle to pass legislation and praised trade work as a viable career option for the nation’s youth.
“If we win again, it is a signal to the rest of the country that it is possible to take a different path. Step away from the national talking points and hyperpartisanship, and run a campaign based on respect for working people and the issues that directly impact us here at home,” Gluesenkamp Perez said.
In her remarks, Gluesenkamp Perez said “90% of us agree on about 90% of the issues, but they choose the 10% of issues we disagree about to turn into a stake to drive into the heart of our community” which is “not what we need.”
“What we need is shop class in junior high,” she said. “What we need are good jobs that don't require a college degree. What we need is a right to fix our own stuff.”
In her remarks, Gluesenkamp Perez referenced the recent destruction of ballots in a ballot box in Vancouver.
“The arsonist wanted to scare us and divide us, and I’m proud to say that southwest Washington is not a place where we allow extremism to go unchallenged,” Gluesenkamp Perez said.
While on the campaign trail, Kent attacked Gluesenkamp Perez over the rise in overdose deaths, inflation, and the economic woes felt by many, among other issues.
As of 11 a.m. Wednesday, Kent had not conceded his bid. In a Facebook post, he wrote that the race was “far from over” and encouraged his supporters to check that their ballots were counted. In the post, Kent congratulated former President Trump on a “historic comeback” following his defeat of Vice President Kamala Harris.
Trump has endorsed both of Kent’s campaigns for Congress and, during a telephone town hall last week, Kent noted that Trump won the Third District in both of his previous presidential campaigns.
It remained unclear Wednesday whether Trump again carried Southwest Washington in his campaign, though Democrat Kamala Harris comfortably took Washington’s 12 electoral votes with 58.6% of the vote.
Ahead of the election, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, campaigned with Kent twice, while Gluesenkamp Perez bucked the national party in her reelection campaign. Less than two weeks before the election, Johnson expressed confidence that the Republican Party would complete an electoral sweep and win the House, Senate and the White House.
With two-thirds of the trifecta secured Wednesday, Johnson remained confident that Republicans would ultimately retain control of the House.
“This historic election has proven that a majority of Americans are eager for secure borders, lower costs, peace through strength, and a return to common sense,” Johnson said in a statement.
Democrats have not conceded control of the House, as Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters “The party that will hold the majority in the House of Representatives in January 2025 has yet to be determined.”
“We must count every vote,” Jeffries said.
Over the summer, the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) each reserved multi-million dollar ad buys for the race, though the commercials that blanketed airwaves for months weren’t authorized by a candidate or candidate’s committee.
In Clark County, Gluesenkamp Perez earned 56.5% of the vote, or 110,365 votes, to Kent’s 43.13%, or 84,260 votes. In Cowlitz County, Gluesenkamp Perez received 44.62%, or 16,892 votes, to Kent’s 54.95%, or 20,803. In Lewis County, Gluesenkamp Perez received 38.28% of the vote, or 14,214 votes, to Kent’s 61.29%, or 22,760 votes. In Pacific County, Gluesenkamp Perez received 53.77% of the vote, or 5,480 votes, to Kent’s 45.87%, or 4,675 votes. In Skamania County, Gluesenkamp Perez received 48.45% of the vote, or 2,975 votes, to Kent’s 51.29%, or 3,149 votes. In Thurston County, Gluesenkamp Perez received 38.79% of the vote, or 4,107 votes, to Kent’s 60.92%, or 6,450 votes. In Wahkiakum County, Gluesenkamp Perez received 47.17% of the vote, or 1,198 votes, to Kent’s 52.6%, or 1,136 votes.
