Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and Trump-backed Republican John Braun advance in Washington's 3rd District primary

Aug 5, 2026

Democratic Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and Trump-backed Republican state Senator John Braun have advanced to the general election in Washington's 3rd Congressional District. Early primary returns show Gluesenkamp Perez with 38.9% and Braun with 38.7% of the vote. This highly competitive swing district, which voted for Donald Trump in 2024, is a crucial battleground that could decide control of the U.S. House of Representatives. Gluesenkamp Perez faces pressure to win back progressive voters who supported challenger Brent Hennrich, who took 15.3% of the vote, while Braun must balance his Trump endorsement with his moderate stances on the 2020 election and tariffs.

Washington 3rd District primary results

▪Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and state Senator John Braun defeated seven other candidates in the Washington 3rd Congressional District primary.
▪Democratic Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and Republican state Senator John Braun advanced from the nonpartisan jungle primary in Washington's 3rd Congressional District to the general election.
▪In the Washington 3rd Congressional District primary, Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez received 38.9% of early votes, while state Senator John Braun received 38.7% of early votes.

Gluesenkamp Perez moderate positioning

▪Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez has positioned herself as a moderate Democrat, voting against President Joe Biden's student loan forgiveness plan and in favor of military support to Israel.
▪Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez supported a previous version of Donald Trump's voting regulations bill, currently known as the SAVE America Act.

John Braun Trump endorsement

▪State Senator John Braun criticized Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs as potentially harmful, though he supported targeted import taxes against threats from China and Russia.
▪Donald Trump endorsed state Senator John Braun in April 2026, calling Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez 'a true radical left extremist.'
▪State Senator John Braun publicly disagreed with Donald Trump regarding the 2020 election, affirming that Joe Biden won the presidency.

Progressive challenge from Hennrich

▪Progressive candidate Brent Hennrich secured 15.3% of the early primary votes in Washington's 3rd Congressional District.
▪Brent Hennrich accused Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of failing to listen to liberal constituents and voting too frequently with Republicans on key issues.

House majority control implications

▪The general election race in Washington's 3rd Congressional District is considered crucial for determining which political party controls the U.S. House of Representatives.
▪The Cook Political Report rates the general election race in Washington's 3rd Congressional District as a tossup, while the University of Virginia's Center for Politics rates it as leaning Democratic.
▪Washington's 3rd Congressional District is one of only 13 districts nationwide that voted for Donald Trump in 2024 while electing a Democrat to the House.