In Washington state’s 3rd congressional district, which covers the southwest of the state, incumbent Democratic congresswoman Marie Glüsenkamp Perez fell just short after most votes were counted in the primaries. As of Thursday evening, she was at about 37%, while her Republican challenger John Brown was at roughly 40%.
At first glance, that result leaves Glüsenkamp Perez in relatively decent shape ahead of the November election. But just as important was another figure: 17% of Democratic voters in the primaries backed her left-leaning opponent Brent Heinrich, who argued that she no longer represents Democrats. For one of the most competitive districts in the country, that is a notable sign of internal friction within the party.
Political scientists say the key question now will be how those voters behave in November. They will have to decide whether to support the incumbent congresswoman anyway, despite disappointment with her centrist stance, or simply not turn out to vote. The outcome of the race could depend heavily on this portion of the electorate, since Glüsenkamp Perez has been elected to Congress twice already, each time by a narrow margin.
The 3rd district is considered especially unpredictable because of its political makeup: it combines more liberal areas with more conservative ones, and election outcomes here are often determined by a small group of swing voters. Unlike many other districts in the state, this is where the parties typically fight the hardest.
The campaign kicked off immediately after the primaries as well. House Speaker Mike Johnson appeared with Brown in Vancouver at a brewery event, praising him for his military service and his experience as an entrepreneur. Johnson said the outcome of the race in the district could affect the fight for control of Congress, and expressed confidence that Republicans would keep and expand their majority. Vancouver, meanwhile, remains one of the major population and voting centers in southwest Washington, so that’s where campaign events most often take place—allowing candidates to speak directly with local residents and draw media attention.
The district is considered extremely important: according to the Cook Political Report, it is one of only 18 U.S. districts rated as “unpredictable.” In the fall, large sums of outside money are expected to pour in, because both Democrats and Republicans see this battleground as a deciding factor in the race for the House of Representatives. Voters in the district have already voted for Donald Trump three times in presidential elections, but then, twice, with a narrow margin, they elected Glüsenkamp Perez.
Her political profile remains unusual for a Democrat: a former auto shop owner, she entered politics without any prior experience in elected office and has gained prominence as a centrist, often diverging from her party’s line. That is what has drawn criticism within Democrats: Heinrich and his supporters accused her of not backing progressive initiatives strongly enough and of being willing to work with Republicans on certain issues—insisting that she is not a sufficiently consistent representative of the party.
Although Heinrich did not advance to the general election, his 17% is a test of whether Glüsenkamp Perez can rebuild her coalition again by November. Heinrich himself declined to endorse her and said he cannot urge his supporters to vote for her. Meanwhile, the congresswoman has continued to emphasize the theme of American manufacturing. On Wednesday, she visited an auto parts manufacturing facility in Vancouver and again underscored the importance of keeping production in the United States and pushing for the federal Right to Repair law.
Based on: WA 3rd Congressional District primary exposes Democratic tensions