Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez delivered a rare bright spot for Democrats last fall by winning a closely contested race in a deeply Republican district in southwestern Washington state.
The former auto repair shop owner captured the seat by narrowly defeating a hardline MAGA candidate, flipping a district that had long been held by Republicans.
Her victory was hailed by some as a blueprint for Democrats hoping to reclaim support among blue-collar voters who abandoned the party in recent elections.
Gluesenkamp Perez’s approach was straightforward and focused on local issues rather than partisan culture wars. She championed efforts to preserve veterans’ clinics, fought for increased funding for vocational shop classes, and pushed for job-creating forest thinning programs to reduce wildfire risks.
She avoided polarizing national debates, preferring to deliver tangible results for her constituents.
But the second-term congresswoman now faces mounting pressure from the progressive wing of her own party. At two recent town halls, angry crowds interrupted her, chanting “Vote her out!” and voicing support for a more liberal challenger in the upcoming Democratic primary.
For some voters on the left, her centrist and bipartisan posture is no longer enough to counteract the authoritarian threats they associate with President Trump’s second term.
“It’s a really bad time to be a centrist,” said Liz Oxford, a 39-year-old stay-at-home mom from Centralia, Washington. “She just keeps on coming down as one of the few Democrats to side with Republicans, and that is a really hard thing to accept right now. It’s like, look, you ran as a Democrat, and right now Democrats have to draw a hard line.”
Gluesenkamp Perez’s standing in her district is precarious. Hundreds of constituents packed her town halls last month, many upset over her votes to censure Texas Democratic Rep. Al Green for disrupting Trump’s speech to Congress and her support for the SAVE Act, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote.
Critics argue this law could suppress voter turnout, especially among women who change their names after marriage and transgender individuals whose identification documents may not align with their gender identity.
Her opponent in the upcoming primary, Brent Hennrich, launched his campaign earlier this week, positioning himself as a stronger progressive alternative.
On his campaign website, Hennrich criticized Gluesenkamp Perez for compromising too often and failing to stand firm against Trump’s agenda. “With our nation in crisis, Democrats in Congress must do everything in their power to block the radical Trump agenda, but our incumbent has been far too willing to compromise on bills that threaten our rights, our prosperity, and our health,” he wrote.
Despite criticism, Gluesenkamp Perez’s political success in a Republican-leaning district cannot be overlooked. Political consultant Sandeep Kaushik, who worked on her 2022 campaign, emphasized her unique ability to attract moderate Republicans and independents — a key factor in winning a seat that has eluded even prominent statewide Democrats.
“In a district like Washington 3, you win or lose by being able to get independents and moderate Republicans to cross over the vast chasm that has opened up between the parties and vote for you,” Kaushik said.
“And Marie has been almost uniquely successful in doing that in her first two campaigns.”
The district, Washington’s 3rd congressional district, has been a tough terrain for Democrats. Even heavy hitters such as Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell and former Governor Jay Inslee failed to carry it in statewide races, highlighting the challenge Gluesenkamp Perez faces.
Her predecessor, six-term Republican Jaime Herrera Beutler, lost her 2022 primary after angering Trump supporters by voting to impeach the former president.
The right-wing base coalesced behind Joe Kent, a former special operations soldier who amplified Trump’s unfounded claims of a stolen 2020 election and conspiracy theories about the January 6 Capitol riot.
Gluesenkamp Perez narrowly defeated Kent in the general election by less than one percentage point but solidified her hold on the seat with a more comfortable four-point victory in the 2024 rematch.
While her focus on local, pragmatic policies has earned praise from a broad range of constituents, the growing left-wing discontent represents a significant challenge.
Former Lewis County Democratic Chairwoman Carol Brock criticized her vote on the SAVE Act, questioning how she could support such a bill while claiming to represent Democratic values.
“I’m all for working across the aisle. I live in Lewis County — there’s more Republicans here than there is grass,” Brock said after attending a recent town hall. “It doesn’t mean I give up my values. If you don’t believe in it, why did you vote for it?”
Some members of the state Democratic Party have expressed similar frustrations. Tina Podlodowski, a former three-term chair of the Washington State Democratic Party, wrote on Facebook following the SAVE Act vote, “Democrats can and must do better in WA3 than Marie Gluesenkamp Perez.”
Pacific County Democrats have also discussed the possibility of withholding party endorsements if another Democrat challenges her in the primary.
Despite the mounting criticism, Gluesenkamp Perez urges caution and pragmatism. She argues that the party must pick its battles wisely and focus on tangible policy wins.
“There’s a lot of consternation and anger and rage about things that don’t have the force of law,” she said. “It’s really important that we’re not torching social capital on things that will not be experienced by most people — or any people.”
Her emphasis on practical governance and avoiding ideological purity tests has drawn support from some Democratic voters and labor activists in her district.
Bob Guenther, a labor organizer from Lewis County, warned against purging moderate Democrats in a fragile political environment. “We are cutting our nose off to spite our face, to make statements about throwing her out of office,” Guenther said. “We’ve got to be thoughtful. We’ve got to flip the Congress or we’re in trouble.”
The National Republican Congressional Committee seized on the intra-party divisions as a sign of weakness. In a statement, the NRCC said, “Vulnerable Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez is getting primaried and no one’s shocked. She’s too weak for the far left, too radical for Washington’s families, she doesn’t belong anywhere.”
As Democrats prepare for what could be a bruising primary fight in Washington’s 3rd District, Gluesenkamp Perez’s ability to balance the competing demands of progressives and moderates will be crucial.
Her political future—and perhaps the party’s chance to hold this vital swing district—may depend on how effectively she can navigate the growing unrest and rally support across her diverse constituency.
The outcome of this internal battle will be watched closely, as it may foreshadow larger struggles within the Democratic Party nationwide over strategy, ideology, and the path forward in a deeply polarized political landscape.
