Local Politics · Lewis County
Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez Faces State Senate Leader John Braun in WA-03 Congressional Race
Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, representing Washington's 3rd Congressional District spanning Southwest Washington and the northern Portland metro area, faces Republican state Senate leader John Braun in an upcoming election. The district, which twice elected Perez while supporting Trump in every campaign, includes communities like Chehalis and Battle Ground with economies centered on fishing, logging, and manufacturing. Perez has positioned herself as a moderate Democrat focused on right-to-repair legislation and addressing sea lion populations at Columbia River dams, sometimes breaking with her party on procedural votes. Braun, a retired Navy captain and president of emergency-vehicle manufacturer Braun Northwest along Interstate 5, argues Perez has not been sufficiently independent from Democratic leadership.