Gluesenkamp Perez wins competitive Washington race

Washington — Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez won a third term in Washington's 3rd Congressional District, CBS News projected. 

Gluesenkamp Perez's victory, in a district President Trump has won three times, comes as she's flexed her independence over party loyalty. Democrats will take control of the House of Representatives in January, with stunning wins across the country. 

The congresswoman beat Republican state Sen. John Braun to win reelection in the rural district in the southwestern corner of the state. Braun, the top Republican in the Washington state Senate, was a more mainstream Republican than Gluesenkamp Perez's prior opponent, far-right conservative Joe Kent, who went on to become Mr. Trump's counterterrorism chief before resigning in protest over the Iran war. But Braun, who was endorsed by Mr. Trump, also distanced himself from the president on some issues, including on tariffs, the Iran war and affirming that Joe Biden won the 2020 election. 

Though Gluesenkamp Perez angered her Democratic colleagues in September by helping Republicans on two party-line procedural votes that were struggling to pass, her win is a relief to Democrats, who needed to hold the highly competitive seat in their quest to retake the House majority. 

Though House Democratic leaders initially called the split "a significant breach of trust" that "necessitates a serious response," the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee — which is controlled by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York — continued to back Gluesenkamp Perez. In a coordinated ad with the DCCC in October, Gluesenkamp Perez said, "I don't answer to any political party or any president. I answer to you." 

At a district event in September, Gluesenkamp Perez emphasized her loyalty to her community as she referenced her occasional defections. 

"We have no form of representative democracy if we do not represent our districts, if we don't stand for a working waterfront, if we don't stand for people working in the trades, if we don't stand for right-to-repair, if we don't stand for our Ukrainian countrymen, we have nothing," she said. "All of democracy is predicated on representative government. That's the point." 

Braun also sought to put space between himself and GOP leaders during the campaign. 

While not criticizing the president directly on his handling of the Iran war, Braun said during an Oct. 13 debate, "I will not and I do not support a war without clear objectives and without a clear ending point." 

"I think Congress has a very important role here — one they should exercise," he said. 

Braun also lamented Congress ceding its powers to the president, especially its control over federal government spending and the ability to declare war. 

"We have to take power back," he said. 

On tariffs, Braun said, "with our allies, indiscriminate use of tariffs is not helpful and ultimately lead to an increase of prices for manufacturers and consumers." He called the administration's handling of immigration enforcement  a "mixed bag."