Marie Gluesenkamp Perez

Marie Gluesenkamp Perez
Born	Kristina Marie Pérez 4 6, 1988
Birthplace	Harris County, Texas, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Politician, auto shop owner
Known for	U.S. Representative for Washington's 3rd congressional district
Education	Reed College (BA)
Children	1
Awards	Co-Chair, Blue Dog Coalition
Website	[Official House website Official site]

Kristina Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (née Pérez; born June 4, 1988) is an American politician and businesswoman serving as the U.S. representative for Washington's 3rd congressional district since January 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, she first won election in 2022 in what was widely described as one of the most significant upset victories of that year's midterm elections, defeating Donald Trump-endorsed Republican candidate Joe Kent in a district that had been considered safely Republican. A co-owner of an auto repair shop, Gluesenkamp Perez has positioned herself as a centrist Democrat, serving as co-chair of the Blue Dog Coalition, the caucus of moderate and conservative Democrats in the House. Her willingness to break with her own party on key votes has made her one of the most closely watched members of Congress, representing a politically competitive district in southwestern Washington state that encompasses rural, suburban, and small-city communities.

Early life

Marie Gluesenkamp Perez was born Kristina Marie Pérez on June 4, 1988, in Harris County, Texas. She grew up in a household that fostered an appreciation for working with her hands, and she developed skills in trades and mechanical work from a relatively young age. Her background in manual labor and small business ownership would later become central to her political identity and campaign messaging.

Gluesenkamp Perez eventually relocated to the Pacific Northwest, where she settled in the rural community of Skamania County in southwestern Washington state. She became involved in the local community and, alongside her husband, established an auto repair shop. This experience as a small business owner in a rural, working-class area shaped much of her political outlook and would later distinguish her from many other Democratic candidates running in similar districts.

Before running for Congress, Gluesenkamp Perez had some involvement in local politics. In 2016, she appeared on the ballot in Skamania County, gaining early experience with the electoral process at the local level. This local engagement provided a foundation for her later entry into federal politics.

Education

Gluesenkamp Perez attended Warren Wilson College, a small liberal arts institution in Asheville, North Carolina known for its work program that requires students to contribute labor to the campus community. She later transferred to Reed College in Portland, Oregon, where she earned her bachelor's degree. Reed College, a private liberal arts college, is known for its rigorous academic curriculum. Her educational path, which included time at a work-oriented college before completing her degree at Reed, reflected a blend of academic pursuit and practical, hands-on experience that would later characterize her political brand.

Career

Small business ownership

Prior to entering politics at the federal level, Gluesenkamp Perez co-owned and operated an auto repair shop in rural southwestern Washington. Her work in the trades — specifically automotive repair — became a defining element of her public identity. She frequently referenced her experience as a working-class business owner during her campaigns, using it to connect with voters in a district that includes significant rural and blue-collar communities. Her background stood in contrast to many congressional candidates, and she leveraged this distinction to appeal to voters across the political spectrum in Washington's 3rd congressional district.

2022 congressional campaign

Washington's 3rd congressional district had been represented by Republican Jaime Herrera Beutler since 2011. Herrera Beutler, who had voted to impeach Donald Trump following the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, faced a primary challenge from Joe Kent, a former Green Beret who had received Trump's endorsement. Kent defeated Herrera Beutler in the August 2022 primary, setting up a general election contest against Gluesenkamp Perez.

The race was not initially considered competitive by most political forecasters. The Cook Political Report and FiveThirtyEight both rated the district as leaning Republican, and Gluesenkamp Perez was not expected to mount a serious challenge. The district had voted for Trump in both 2016 and 2020, and Republicans were expected to retain the seat.

During the campaign, Gluesenkamp Perez emphasized her background as a small business owner and tradeswoman, seeking to appeal to both Democratic and Republican voters in the district. She participated in debates with Kent, where the two candidates presented sharply different visions for the district. She focused on practical economic issues and appealed to voters concerned about Kent's more ideologically extreme positions, including his alignment with Trump and various far-right policy proposals.

On November 8, 2022, as votes were tallied over the following days, Gluesenkamp Perez gradually built a lead over Kent. By November 12, she declared victory as Kent's remaining vote margins continued to shrink. Kent did not concede the race until December 2022.

The victory was characterized as one of the biggest upsets of the 2022 midterm elections. The Seattle Times and other outlets analyzed how Gluesenkamp Perez managed to win in a district that political models had forecast as a likely Republican hold. Her success was attributed to a combination of factors, including Kent's far-right positions alienating moderate Republican voters, her authentic working-class appeal, and her campaign strategy of reaching across partisan lines. A New York Times opinion piece examined the lessons of her upset victory for the Democratic Party more broadly.

Tenure in Congress

Gluesenkamp Perez was sworn in as the representative for Washington's 3rd congressional district on January 3, 2023, succeeding Jaime Herrera Beutler. From the outset of her congressional career, she adopted an independent posture within the Democratic caucus, frequently emphasizing her willingness to work across party lines and to break with Democratic leadership when she believed it served her constituents' interests.

Blue Dog Coalition leadership

Gluesenkamp Perez joined the Blue Dog Coalition, a caucus of moderate and conservative House Democrats. In May 2023, she was named co-chair of the Blue Dog Coalition for Communications, succeeding Jared Golden in the role. In January 2025, she became co-chair of the Blue Dog Coalition for Administration. Her leadership within the coalition reflected her centrist approach to governance and her effort to represent a district that leans Republican in presidential elections.

Cross-party voting

Throughout her tenure, Gluesenkamp Perez has been notable for her willingness to vote with Republicans on certain key measures. In January 2026, she was one of only seven House Democrats to vote in favor of a Department of Homeland Security funding bill that included funding for ICE. The vote drew significant attention and criticism from some progressives within the Democratic Party, and her district office in Vancouver, Washington, was subsequently vandalized.

She also voted in favor of legislation to reopen the government during a partial government shutdown in early 2026. In a statement released through her official House website, she framed her vote as a matter of ensuring continuity of government services for her constituents. On a separate occasion, she voted in favor of keeping the government open, again emphasizing the practical impact of government funding on her district.

However, she voted against the SAVE America Act, indicating that her cross-party voting was selective rather than uniform.

Intra-party disputes

In November 2025, Gluesenkamp Perez made headlines when she sought a public reprimand of a fellow Democratic member of the House, a move that led to an open clash with colleagues within her own party. The disagreement was aired publicly during an hour-long debate on the House floor, drawing attention to the tensions between centrist and progressive factions within the Democratic caucus.

In a subsequent interview with the Washington State Standard, Gluesenkamp Perez stated that she did not regret the action and argued that it was the Democratic Party that needed to change, not her. She articulated a view that the party needed to better connect with working-class and rural voters, a theme consistent with her broader political positioning.

Campaign finance

Gluesenkamp Perez's campaigns have been reported to the Federal Election Commission under the candidate identification number H2WA03217. As a representative holding a competitive seat, her fundraising and campaign operations have received attention from both parties.

Political positions

Gluesenkamp Perez has positioned herself as a moderate Democrat, reflecting the political composition of her district. Her voting record demonstrates a willingness to break with Democratic leadership on issues related to government spending and immigration enforcement, while maintaining alignment with the party on other matters.

She has emphasized practical, constituent-focused governance over ideological purity, a stance consistent with her role in the Blue Dog Coalition. Her approach has drawn criticism from both the political left and right. Progressive Democrats have criticized her cross-party votes, particularly on immigration-related legislation, while Republicans have sought to characterize her centrist positioning as inauthentic. The National Republican Congressional Committee has targeted her as a vulnerable incumbent, characterizing her working-class image as performative.

Personal life

Gluesenkamp Perez resides in southwestern Washington state with her family. She has one child. She is married, and her surname reflects the hyphenated combination of her husband's surname, Gluesenkamp, and her birth surname, Pérez.

Her residence in a rural area of the district and her continued involvement in the family auto repair business have been noted in media profiles as factors that contribute to her political identity as a working-class representative. The vandalism of her Vancouver district office in January 2026, following her vote on the DHS funding bill, drew attention to the personal risks associated with her politically independent stance.

Recognition

Gluesenkamp Perez's 2022 victory was one of the most analyzed results of the midterm elections. The Seattle Times published multiple articles examining the factors behind her upset win, noting that she succeeded in a district where forecasting models had given her little chance of victory. The New York Times published an opinion piece drawing broader lessons from her victory for the Democratic Party's strategy in competitive and rural districts.

The Hill featured her among the notable new members of the 118th Congress. Reed College highlighted her election victory in its alumni magazine, noting her as one of several Reed graduates who won elected office in 2022.

Her leadership role as co-chair of the Blue Dog Coalition has further raised her profile within the House Democratic caucus, positioning her as a leading voice among moderate Democrats seeking to broaden the party's appeal in rural and working-class communities.

Electoral history

Year	Office	Opponent	Result
2022	U.S. House, Washington's 3rd District	Joe Kent (R)	Won