By Jacob Moore
jacob@chronline.com
The political favorites are leading the pack of nine candidates in the race to represent Washington’s Third Congressional District as preliminary primary election results were released on Tuesday.
Incumbent U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Skamania, and Republican challenger state Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia, are in the top two spots followed at a distance by progressive Democrat candidate Brent Hennrich.
Gluesenkamp Perez came out of the gate ahead of Braun by just less than 300 votes. Gluesenkamp Perez received 38.9% of the vote in the first tally released just after 8 p.m. Tuesday evening. That percentage represents 54,132 ballots in her favor.
Braun hauled in 38.71% of the vote in the first count, representing 53,869 ballots.
Hennrich, seeking to challenge his fellow party member on her own turf, had the third most votes with 21,290 ballots, representing 15.3% of the vote.
In a brief interview with Gluesenkamp Perez shortly after the first count was posted, she told The Chronicle she was "profoundly grateful” for her supporters and added that the race is far from over.
“I’m here trying to be diligent and curious and humble, and I am profoundly grateful for the votes of confidence,” Gluesenkamp Perez said.
Just a couple hours after the initial results were posted, Braun said he was pleased with the results and that his leading opponent should be worried.
“If I were her, I’d be worried,” Braun said. “You’re the incumbent and you’re well known, and 60% of the folks voted against you.”
While Braun and Gluesenkamp Perez are battling in a packed primary, the campaign has long been seen on the national level as a two-way race between the candidates who have the financial backing of their respective parties.
Now that two-way race appears certain and both campaigns will surely refocus for a final fundraising push and look to highlight and capitalize on their opponents weaknesses going forward.
Both campaigns issued statements after the release of the initial primary results, starting with gratitude for supporters, but adding a message for the next steps in the campaign.
Messaging from the National Republican Congressional Committee ahead of the primary has targeted Gluesenkamp Perez, labeling her frequently as “fraud Marie” and framing the incumbent's public persona as performative.
The Braun campaign, however, avoided such direct criticism Wednesday morning.
In a statement from Braun, the state senator addressed Southwest Washington and reiterated his platform on affordability and low regulations while also revisiting his comments on the incumbent's performance from the night before.
“My opponent has had the opportunity to lead on these issues, but too many of the challenges facing our district have only gotten worse,” Braun said. “More than 60% of the voters of this district have rejected the incumbent. It’s time for a change.”
Gluesenkamp Perez took a more antagonistic approach, at times echoing messaging from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee framing Braun as a purely partisan candidate and questioning his dedication to Southwest Washington.
In her first public statement after the initial results, Gluesnekamp Perez identified Braun as her sole opponent moving forward and criticized him as a “sellout” sacrificing Southwest Washington ideals for an endorsement from President Donald Trump.
“I’m sorry to see him sell out his long legacy as the Senate minority leader for an endorsement from DC,” Gluesenkamp Perez said. “I understand that in Olympia he’s taken a lot of votes I disagree with, and there will be plenty of time to evaluate his support for Big Pharma, hikes on
property tax, and votes against access to contraception.”
Gluesenkamp Perez so far has a significant fundraising edge, reporting more than $6 million in fundraising while also facing a challenger from within her own party.
Braun has been second in fundraising with just over $2 million raised.
With Washington state’s open primary elections, the top two candidates will advance to the general election in November.
The battle ground district of Southwest Washington is considered a must win for both parties at the national level, with Democrats looking to hold the seat and add others to retake a majority in the House. Flipping the seat for Republicans would be key to helping the party hold on to an extremely thin majority in the House of Representatives.
The race in Southwest Washington is expected to be extremely close between Gluesenkamp Perez and Braun, with the most recent poll published by the Northwest Progressive Institute labeling the race a toss-up and giving Braun a single point edge in the general election, which is well within the margin of error for such polls.
