Marie Gluesenkamp Pérez

Kristina Marie Gluesenkamp Pérez (née Pérez; born June 6, 1988) is an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, she is the U.S. representative-elect for Washington's 3rd congressional district, having been elected in 2022.

'' The Seattle Times'' called Gluesenkamp Perez's victory over Republican Joe Kent in this Republican-leaning district "the most stunning political upset in the country this year".

Early life and career

Gluesenkamp Perez was born on June 6, 1988. Her father immigrated from Mexico. She graduated from Reed College in 2012 with a degree in economics. She and her husband own an automobile repair shop in Portland, Oregon.

In 2016, Gluesenkamp Perez lost a race for Skamania County Commissioner. She received 32.79% of the vote in the August 2 primary election, finishing second behind Republican Richard Mahar. In the general election on November 8, she lost to Mahar with 46.3% of the vote. Gluesenkamp Perez has served on the Washington State Democratic Party executive committee since 2020. She has been a member of the Underwood Soil and Water District Conservation board of supervisors since 2018.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2022

Gluesenkamp Perez advanced from a nonpartisan blanket primary, which was implemented in Washington state starting in the 2008 election. In this format, all candidates of all parties are listed on the same primary ballot, and the two who get the most votes advance to the general election. In the primary, she finished first out of all candidates with 31.0% of the vote. Republican Joe Kent finished in second place and also advanced to the general election, beating the incumbent representative, Republican Jaime Herrera Beutler, by .5%. Republican Heidi St. John finished fourth, with 16.0% of the vote. The other Democrat in the race, Davy Ray, received 2.2%. In the lead-up to the primary, Democrat Brent Hennrich, who had led in two early polls by the Trafalgar Group, withdrew from the race and endorsed Gluesenkamp Perez.

The general election's rating varied from "Lean R", according to ''The Cook Political Report'', to "Solid R" in '' FiveThirtyEight's'' House of Representatives forecast. ''FiveThirtyEight'' estimated that Gluesenkamp Perez had a 2% chance of winning the general election over Kent, and was expected to receive 43.6% of the popular vote. She led in one of two polls and was trailing in the other, but both were within the margin of error. Her subsequent victory received national attention as one of the midterms' biggest upsets. Kent refused to concede until December 21 after a recount.

Political positions

In the 2016 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Gluesenkamp Perez supported Bernie Sanders. In 2022, she campaigned as a self-described moderate Democrat, a "supporter of both abortion rights and Second Amendment rights". She "emphasized support for small businesses, job training and local concerns, like the timber industry" and opposition to political extremism. Gluesenkamp Perez supports abortion rights, citing her personal experience of a miscarriage. KGW described her support for abortion rights as "a tenet of her campaign".

Gluesenkamp Perez has also said that inflation, which she blames on companies outsourcing jobs, is the top issue affecting voters in her district. She has called for both increased usage of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in the short term and a long-term increase in the number of jobs available in green industries.

Gluesenkamp Perez believes that vote by mail is safe and has refuted unsubstantiated claims of widespread fraud among mail-in ballots. She has condemned the January 6 United States Capitol attack and criticized Kent for not doing so.

Gluesenkamp Perez opposes a ban on assault weapons, but has expressed interest in raising the age required to purchase an assault weapon to 21 from 18. She has also called for increased hiring of police to handle a surge in property crime.

Personal life

Gluesenkamp Perez lives near Stevenson, Washington, in Skamania County. She is a gun owner. Married to Dean Gluesenkamp, she has one child.

Electoral history

See also

* List of Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States Congress
* Women in the United States House of Representatives

References

External links

Marie Gluesenkamp Perez for Congress
campaign website
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gluesenkamp Perez, Marie
1980s births
Living people
People from Skamania County, Washington
Reed College alumni
21st-century American politicians
21st-century American women politicians
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Washington (state)
Women in Washington (state) politics
American politicians of Mexican descent
Hispanic and Latino American members of the United States Congress
Female members of the United States House of Representatives