Marie Gluesenkamp Perez

In the 2024 House race for WA-3, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D) won with 51.7% of the vote, defeating Joe Kent (R) who received 47.9%. A third candidate also appeared on the ballot. The 3.9-point margin made this one of the more competitive races of the cycle.

As the incumbent, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez benefited from name recognition, established constituent services, and the roughly 2-3 point advantage that sitting members typically enjoy. The 2024 presidential election drove higher voter turnout, which can help or hurt down-ballot candidates depending on the top of the ticket. This seat will likely stay on party watch lists as potentially competitive in future cycles.

In the 2022 House race for WA-3, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D) won with 50.1% of the vote, defeating Joe Kent (R) who received 49.3%. A third candidate also appeared on the ballot. The 0.8-point margin made this one of the more competitive races of the cycle.

This race flipped the seat from Republican to Democrat. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R) held the seat previously but either retired or lost in a primary. Party flips at the seat level are relatively rare and often signal shifting district dynamics. As a Democrat, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez won despite the historical midterm penalty against the president's party (Democrat Biden was in office). Given the narrow margin, this seat is likely to remain competitive and attract heavy investment in the next cycle.