Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez
| Photograph Credit score: AP
First-term Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez received re-election Saturday (November 10, 2024) in southwestern Washington state’s intently watched third Congressional District, surviving a rematch with Republican Joe Kent.
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Two years in the past, Ms. Gluesenkamp Perez, who owns an auto-repair store along with her husband, got here out of nowhere to win the seat, which hadn’t been in Democratic fingers for over a decade. She beat the Trump-endorsed Kent by fewer than 3,000 votes out of practically 320,000 forged, making it one of many closest races within the nation and setting the stage for a tricky election combat this 12 months.
Her predecessor, Republican Jaime Herrera Beutler, held workplace for six phrases however didn’t survive the 2022 major after voting to question Trump over the Jan. 6 rebellion. The district narrowly went for Trump in 2020, making it a vital goal for each events this 12 months.
The race gained further consideration final week when an arson assault struck a poll field in Vancouver — the district’s largest metropolis — scorching lots of of ballots. Individuals who forged their votes in that field had been urged to contact the county auditor’s workplace to obtain alternative ballots.
Gluesenkamp Perez has balanced progressive insurance policies with some measures widespread with Republicans throughout her tenure, together with securing the U.S.-Mexico border — one thing she criticizes Biden for failing to do — and introducing a constitutional modification to power presidents to stability the price range.
She helps abortion entry and has hammered Kent, who beforehand has stated he supported a nationwide abortion ban, for altering his place after the Supreme Courtroom overturned Roe v. Wade. Kent now says abortion legal guidelines ought to be left as much as the states.
Gluesenkamp Perez helps insurance policies to counter local weather change, but additionally speaks brazenly about being a gun proprietor. A high precedence is pushing a “proper to restore” invoice that will assist individuals get gear fastened with out having to pay exorbitant costs to the unique producer.
Kent, a former Inexperienced Beret who has known as for the impeachment of President Joe Biden, cited inflation and unlawful immigration as high issues.
The 2 disagreed on a significant native difficulty: the alternative of a major bridge across the Columbia River between Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington. Gluesenkamp Perez helps plans to interchange the prevailing bridge; Kent argued {that a} separate new bridge ought to be constructed whereas the outdated one is maintained.
Revealed – November 10, 2024 11:40 am IST
