Gluesenkamp Perez Wins Reelection in Washington's 3rd District, Defeating Braun

VANCOUVER, Washington (Orbit Post) Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez won reelection to the U.S. House on Wednesday, defeating Republican John Braun in Washington's 3rd Congressional District and holding one of the most competitive seats in the country for a third term. The Associated Press called the race at 1:04 p.m. EST, and NBC News also projected her win. At the time of the call, Gluesenkamp Perez led with 55 percent of the vote to 44 percent for Braun. A later Associated Press count listed 157,272 votes for Gluesenkamp Perez, with 465 of 628 precincts reporting and an estimated 74 percent of the vote counted.

A seat both parties fought over

The district covers Vancouver and much of southwest Washington. The Cook Political Report rated the race a toss-up, and FOX 13 Seattle counted it among only 18 pure toss-up House seats in the country. More than 20 million dollars was spent on the contest, according to spending figures from the Washington State Standard reported by Fox News. The first returns on election night pointed the same way as the final call. Gluesenkamp Perez opened with 55 percent and 142,298 votes, against 44.1 percent and 114,028 votes for Braun, according to FOX 13 Seattle.

A centrist record in a Republican leaning district

Gluesenkamp Perez, an auto repair shop owner from Washougal, is a leader of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of moderate and fiscally conservative Democrats. She first won the seat in 2022 with 50.1 percent of the vote, then won again in 2024 with nearly 52 percent against Joe Kent. Her district backed President Donald Trump by more than 3 percentage points in 2024. In September she sided with Republicans on two procedural votes in the House, a move that drew criticism from Democratic leaders. She has made protecting salmon from sea lions a central policy push in Congress, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The challenger

Braun is a Republican state senator and the minority leader in the Washington State Senate. He is a Navy veteran and a small business owner, and President Trump endorsed his campaign. He ran on cutting wasteful spending, strong border enforcement and stopping fentanyl trafficking, according to The Wall Street Journal.

What the hold means

The result keeps a district that voted for Trump in Democratic hands on a night when Democrats retook the House majority. The win also sets up an early question for the new Congress. The Washington Examiner reported that it remains unknown whether Gluesenkamp Perez will face any punishment from her party when the House returns, after her two September votes against the Democratic position.