In Our View: Perez, Lewallen best suited for Congress seat

In the race to represent Washington’s 3rd Congressional District, The Columbian’s Editorial Board recommends a vote for Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez or Republican Leslie Lewallen in the Aug. 6 primary.

As always, this is merely a recommendation, designed to provide information and foster discussion. The Columbian trusts that voters will use reliable sources to study the candidates and the issues in helping to shape the next U.S. Congress.

In truth, the four-candidate contest comes down to a two-person race in the primary. Perez, as the incumbent and the only Democrat on the ballot, is almost certain to advance to the November general election. She has been an involved and thoughtful representative throughout her initial two-year term, consistently focusing on issues that matter to Southwest Washington rather than engaging in the theatrics that hamper Washington, D.C., politics these days.

John Saulie-Rohman is running as an independent and, during an interview with the Editorial Board, made some thoughtful points, particularly about the corrosive role of money in modern politics. “I don’t think either party represents the American people,” he said. “We need to move away from voting out of fear.” But by his own admission, Saulie-Rohman has a negligible chance of winning the seat.

That leaves the race between Lewallen and fellow Republican Joe Kent as the one to watch.

Lewallen is a former King County prosecutor and current Camas city councilor, and much of her campaign focuses on securing the southern border and mitigating the effects of opioids in our communities. “I see firsthand the impact of an unsecured border,” she told the Editorial Board. She supports construction of a wall along the Mexico border and reinstating a Trump-era “remain in Mexico” policy.

She opposes the inclusion of light rail on a new Interstate 5 Bridge, opposes the breaching of dams along the Lower Snake River, and says federal funding should be limited to “results-based programs.” She says that “fraud, abuse and waste” are rampant in federal spending.

Lewallen touches upon many themes that are common among Republican candidates. That can make it difficult to differentiate herself from Kent, but she does so effectively: “I have been delivering for the people in Southwest Washington while he has been talking.”

That, indeed, is a crucial difference. Since running for Congress in 2022 (when he lost to Perez by 2,629 votes), Kent has been a constant presence on conservative shows and podcasts. While he has managed to build his brand, he also has created confusion about his priorities.

Kent, who declined an invitation to meet with the Editorial Board, based much of his first campaign on the fallacy that Donald Trump won the 2020 presidential election. He also insisted that people who attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, were “political prisoners.” But when he reached the general election, he said Joe Biden legitimately won the election and called Capitol rioters “felons.”

Kent has been attempting to project a more moderate image during this campaign, but his history of repeating lies, supporting felons and freely giving interviews to Nazi sympathizers is troubling.

Because of that, and because she is a strong, articulate candidate in her own right, The Columbian’s Editorial Board believes Leslie Lewallen is the best Republican candidate in the race. We recommend a vote for Lewallen or Marie Gluesenkamp Perez in the congressional primary.