The competitive race for Washington’s 3rd Congressional District has attracted national attention and gobs of campaign cash.
Overall, the race already has garnered $8.9 million in campaign contributions, according to Federal Election Commission filings.
That’s because the seat could decide control of the U.S. House, where Republicans currently hold a 219-213 majority. The 3rd District is one of five competitive Pacific Northwest races that could tip the scales in one party’s favor.
For comparison, the second most-funded congressional race in Washington is the 8th Congressional District, which has garnered roughly $4.8 million, according to federal reports.
In the 3rd District, incumbent Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez from Skamania faces Republican challengers Joe Kent of Yacolt and Leslie Lewallen of Camas. An independent candidate from Camas, John Saulie-Rohman, is hoping to shake up the race.
With the advantages of incumbency, Perez has led in fundraising. She had raked in about $6.7 million as of July 17, according to Federal Election Commission filings. A committee linked to her campaign has raised an additional $268,000.
Kent raised $1.4 million directly in the same period, and a committee linked to his campaign has raised an additional $2.4 million, according to the Federal Elections Commission. The Clark County Republican Party provided Kent with an early endorsement in August 2023.
Lewallen has raised about $820,000, filings show. Saulie-Rohman’s campaign has raised less than $5,000.
Some of that money has translated into this campaign season’s first TV ads.
Perez’s first ad stressed her differences with President Joe Biden on border policy and touted her collaboration with Republicans. Kent is airing two ads that attack Perez’s stance on immigration and LGBTQ+ issues. And Lewallen is airing an ad that argues that she has a better chance at beating Perez than Kent.
Aug. 6 primary
Tuesday’s primary election will determine which two candidates will advance to November’s general election. Washington’s jungle primary system can result in two candidates from the same party competing in November.
However, a rematch between Perez and Kent is highly anticipated.
In 2022, Kent, a Green Beret veteran, bested Republican Jaime Herrera Beutler in a hard-fought primary, ending her 12-year tenure. His campaign began as a rebuke of Herrera Beutler’s vote to impeach then-President Donald Trump in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection. He earned Trump’s endorsement soon after.
Kent’s rise galvanized Perez, and she eked out one of the nation’s biggest upsets for Democrats, defeating Kent by just 2,629 votes. At the time, she was a relatively unknown auto repair shop owner.
Now, the two are primed for an expensive rematch. The Democrat Congressional Campaign Committee is expected to defend Perez, and big-money Republican groups are also poised to spend in the race. A June poll showed Perez and Kent in a dead heat, with Lewallen trailing.
However, Lewallen is trying to convince GOP voters she has a better chance of returning the seat to Republicans. She argues that rematches rarely result in a flipped outcome.
“Joe Kent is the wrong candidate for the 3rd Congressional District and he proved it in 2022 by losing a winnable race in a district that President Trump carried,” she said in a statement.
At a July 29 campaign event, Kent said he will support Lewallen if she is the nominee.
“The mission is to get rid of Marie Perez,” he said. “I will gladly support her if she beats me, and I have confidence that she’ll do the same.”
Barnstorming
In the lead-up to the primary, Kent and Lewallen have been barnstorming the district. Perez has been touting her record as a bipartisan legislator.
For the past two weeks, Kent has held a town hall event nearly every day across the district, and he received Trump’s endorsement Sunday.
At each town hall event, Kent spells out his vision for the country and asks for donations before taking questions from the audience.
“I view this as a really good job interview,” he said at Felida Community Park on Monday. “My No. 1 campaign promise is I will always come back to the district and do in-person town halls.”
During his opening remarks Monday, he argued that inflation, immigration, transgender issues and parental rights are the biggest issues facing Southwest Washington and the nation. He added that the Democrats’ foreign policy will provoke another world war.
His campaign is focused on spreading awareness of these issues, unifying the Republican Party and activating voters, he said. He also maintained that Perez is a liberal extremist masquerading as a moderate.
“There is no such thing as a moderate Democrat politician,” he said.
Lewallen made 21 stops throughout Southwest Washington on July 19 and 20, and she has been hosting regular meet-and-greet events across the district over the past two weeks.
“On the trail, I am hearing one consistent message from voters,” Lewallen said in a statement. “They are ready for a conservative leader who they can trust to fight with President Trump and get stuff done in Washington. The 3rd Congressional District can’t trust Joe Kent, but they can trust me.”
At each event, Lewallen highlights her record as a Camas city councilor and former prosecutor, as well as her plans to address immigration, the economy and the opioid crisis. She also argues that Perez and Kent “flip-flop” on important issues.
“I’m in this race to help take back our community from Portland Perez,” she said.
In July, Perez touted her accomplishments during her first year and a half in Congress, namely her progress on bipartisan legislation and her constituent service work for Southwest Washington.
“I’ve passed bipartisan legislation to cut wasteful spending and support small businesses, brought our tax dollars home for community investments, and delivered results for constituents having trouble with federal agencies,” Perez said in a statement. “I look forward to working with Republicans to keep up this urgent momentum — including to lower costs for hardworking families, support our first responders and veterans, fight the flow of fentanyl, and strengthen our rural and agricultural communities.”
Perez will be speaking at the Vancouver Arts & Music Festival and at the Clark County Fair this weekend. Kent and Lewallen also have events slated up until Election Day.
To vote, ballots need to be postmarked or placed in a designated drop box by 8 p.m. Aug. 6. Preliminary results will be released by 8:30 p.m. Election Day. The results will be certified Aug. 20.
