“I came to Congress to represent Southwest Washington's independent values, not just vote down the party line. I’ve made it a priority to build relationships across the aisle, fight polarization, and tune out the noise of clickbait politics, 77% of the bills I have introduced are bipartisan – because good ideas are good ideas, no matter which side of the aisle they come from. For these efforts, I received an A grade on the Bridge Pledge, which recognizes strong records of bipartisan voting and legislating.”  (gluesenkamperez.house.gov/report; 2024 Year End Report)

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BACKGROUND + EXPERIENCE

REP. Marie Gluesenkamp-Perez was elected to her first term in 2022 + was reelected in 2024.

 

She is in the fifth generation of working-class Washingtonians on her mother’s side. Her father emigrated from Mexico to attend college at Western Washington University, where her parents met. Marie graduated from Reed College in Oregon with a degree in economics. She + her husband, Dean Gluesenkamp, co-own an auto repair shop in Portland with eight employees. They live in rural Skamania County with their son.

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Perez first entered politics in 2016 when she lost a race for County Commissioner. She was elected to the Underwood Soil + Water Conservation District in 2018 + became a member of the Washington State Democratic Committee in 2020. In a crowded nonpartisan top-two primary in ‘22, she won first place over Joe Kent, a Trump-endorsed election denier (31% vs. 22.6%). Moderate Republican incumbent, Jaime Herrara Butler, one of the few Republicans who had voted to impeach Trump, lost the renomination contest in the primary.

 

ON THE ISSUES

Gluesenkamp-Perez worked for Bernie Sanders in 2016 but now describes herself as a moderate Democrat. She is fighting to:

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• Support small businesses + workers’ rights.

• Support reproductive freedom + women’s access to healthcare.

• Oppose bans on assault weapons but support raising the age of legal gun purchase to 21.

• Invest in clean energy.

• Lower the cost of healthcare, childcare + prescription drugs.

• Overturn Citizens United to limit the influence of big money.

• Invest + expand apprenticeships + skills training.

• Tackle rising cost of food, gas + housing.

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POLITICS IN WASHINGTON

Rep. Perez defeated MAGA Republican Joe Kent in 2022 by a mere .8% +  again in 2024 by 3.8%. Significantly, Kamala Harris lost this district by 3.30% suggesting the competitive swing district nature of this seat.

 

WA 03 is in the southernmost part of western Washington, sharing a border with Oregon. Demographically, the district is 77.8% white, 11.1% Hispanic, 3.6% Asian, 1.7% Black, 1.2% Native American. Median household income is $69,543 + 91.6% of residents have high school diplomas + 27.1% college degrees.

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The district has always been competitive, with Bush winning in ’04, Obama in ’08, Trump in ’16 + ’20, but more recent assessments suggest a shift to the right.

 

​Perez is one of the more prominent members of the Blue Dog Democrat Caucus. She has successfully positioned herself as a moderate, who dislikes extremist rhetoric + focuses on issues that concern everyday small business owners like herself. While her races have been close –particularly in 2022 – evidence suggests she has benefited from significant cross-over vote by Republicans.

 

At this point, there is no declared Republican candidate. A 2026 primary date is pending.

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