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Marie Gluesenkamp Perez finishes second in primary race that could shape House majority
Final results in the Aug. 4 primary for Washington state’s 3rd Congressional District show two-term Democratic U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez finished second behind Republican state Sen. John Braun.
Washington uses a top-two primary system, where all candidates from all parties appear on the same ballot and the two highest vote-getters move on to the November general election, regardless of party.
Gluesenkamp Perez and Braun will both advance, and that was clear on election night when preliminary results showed each getting about 39% of the vote in the Trump-friendly battleground district where voters have repeatedly backed the Republican president while sending her to Congress.
But the 2026 primary is the first time Gluesenkamp Perez has entered a November general election after finishing behind a GOP opponent since flipping the reliably Republican district blue in 2022.
The race could help determine control of the U.S. House, where Democrats are hoping to regain the majority this fall and Republicans are trying to hold on to their slim advantage.
The Washington Secretary of State’s Office on Friday certified the results of the Aug. 4 primary election, confirming that Gluesenkamp Perez received 36% of the vote while Braun earned nearly 40%.
The open primary race featured nine candidates, including four Democrats and three Republicans. The third highest vote-getter, progressive Democrat Brent Hennrich, captured nearly 17% of the vote.
Together, Democratic candidates received about 55% of the primary vote, compared with roughly 43% for Republican candidates.
Washington’s sprawling 3rd District covers Clark County and stretches across mostly rural counties in southwest Washington.
The district is notable because its voters have backed President Donald Trump three times since 2016 in presidential elections – Trump was the Republican nominee in 2016, 2020 and 2024 – but have also twice sent Gluesenkamp Perez, a pro-union, pro-choice Democrat to Congress.
Gluesenkamp Perez won the primary elections in her district both in 2022 and in 2024, with Republican right-wing Joe Kent coming in second, and she went on to beat Kent both times in the general elections.