Trump joins late pitch in tight Washington state congressional race

Former President Donald Trump helped Republican candidate Joe Kent make his final appeal in a close Washington state contest, one of many that could determine control of the House.

The former president joined Mr. Kent, a retired Green Beret, for a tele-town hall on Wednesday night. Mr. Kent is in a rematch against freshman Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez in Washington’s 3rd Congressional District and is heavily leaning into his Trump bona fides to gain an edge.

Mr. Trump called the Democratic incumbent “a basic disaster” and vowed that he and Mr. Kent would seal the border and undertake “the largest deportation of criminals in the history of our country,” slash regulations, end taxes on tips, overtime and Social Security, and gut electric vehicle mandates in what the former president calls “the green new scam.”

“Joe will be by my side, that I can tell you,” Mr. Trump said. “He’s running against a radical left Congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, who’s a total radical left person. She’ll do whatever Joe Biden or Kamala wants. She votes 100% with them.”

Ms. Gluesenkamp Perez eked out her 2022 win against Mr. Kent by less than 1 point in a district that the former president won by 4 points in 2020. Her narrow victory flipped the district in southwest Washington from Republican to Democratic control for the first time in over a decade.

Their race is one of many considered a toss-up by election rater Cook Political Report and one that could make or break either party securing a majority in the House on Nov. 5.

“We need to flip this seat so we can actually pursue President Trump’s agenda and give him the support that he needs, securing our border, getting inflation under control, getting us out of these needless and endless wars,” Mr. Kent said.

Ms. Gluesenkamp Perez’s campaign told The Washington Times that she has done bipartisan work with the GOP on securing the Southern border and supporting law enforcement, and that she “respects whatever choice voters make when it comes to the presidential election.” 

“She knows many people, especially Republicans and independents, who are casting their ballots for her and former President Trump,” the campaign said. 

During her time in Congress, Ms. Gluesenkamp Perez has bucked her party on a handful of key votes, including for sending military aid to Israel and against President Biden’s student debt relief plan, which earned her liberals’ ire.

She is also a co-chair of the Blue Dog Coalition, along with fellow vulnerable Democrats running in Trump-won districts, namely Reps. Jared Golden of Maine and Mary Peltola of Alaska. The caucus styles itself as a centrist, fiscally responsible group of pragmatic Democrats.

In Ms. Gluesenkamp Perez’s district this week, ballot boxes were set ablaze. She used the incident to go after Mr. Kent, who previously pushed to defund the FBI, the agency investigating ballot box arsons in Washington and Oregon.

“Joe Kent will create dangerous situations that divide our community,” she posted on X. “He is disconnected from reality, and he will make us all less safe.”