WASHINGTON — Control of the U.S. House may come down to Washington state's 3rd Congressional District, where Democratic incumbent Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez faces Republican state Sen. John Braun in a seat President Trump won three times.
Gluesenkamp Perez flipped the district for Democrats in 2022, defying Trump's margin. Now both parties view the race as critical: Democrats need her to hold the seat to reclaim the majority. Republicans need Braun to keep their grip on the chamber and provide votes for Trump's agenda.
Braun, backed by Trump's endorsement, told NPR that winning requires shoe-leather work. "A lot of districts these days are pretty predictable in terms of their politics. The third is not. You got to go earn those votes," he said.
Both candidates operate under structural headwinds. Gluesenkamp Perez faces anti-incumbency. Braun runs in a midterm environment that typically punishes the party in power.
The district itself is split. Vancouver, the largest city, tilts urban and industrial. Rural areas inland and along the Pacific coast pull in different directions. Voters have a history of splitting tickets—backing Trump while also voting for Gluesenkamp Perez.
The candidates share unusual common ground for a swing race. Both are moderates who own small businesses and live in rural towns. Their campaigns emphasize local issues: manufacturing jobs, natural resources, and support for small businesses. They diverge sharply on abortion and other partisan divides, but in a district where such divisions don't automatically determine outcomes.
The seat has produced competitive races before. Former Republican Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler held it for years before losing her primary in 2022 after voting to impeach Trump over the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. That loss signaled Trump's strength in the district but also the limits of his control in a place where voters make independent choices.
