Trump-endorsed Braun to face off against Perez in toss-up Washington House election
The Hill · C · trust 38/100
Comments: by Ryan Mancini - 08/04/26 11:19 PM ET Comments: Link copied by Ryan Mancini - 08/04/26 11:19 PM ET Comments: Link copied NOW PLAYING Washington state Senate Minority Leader John Braun (R), President Trump’s endorsed pick to defeat Rep. Marie Glusenkamp Perez (D-Wash.), is projected to advance to a face-off with the Democratic congresswoman in November, according to Decision Desk HQ’s (DDHQ) preliminary results.
Braun, a U.S. Army veteran and the owner of vehicle manufacturer Braun Northwest, defeated two other Republicans in the race for Washington’s 3rd Congressional District. Washington Republicans had coalesced behind Braun, a “far less incendiary Republican” than former National Counterterrorism Center director Joe Kent, who ran against Perez in 2024, the nonpartisan Cook Political Report wrote.
The race is a toss up, with Republicans holding a 2-point edge according to the Cook Partisan Voting Index. Perez’s seat is considered one of the best pickup chances for the GOP this fall.
Trump endorsed Braun in April, echoing his other endorsements for House candidates by saying Braun “WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!” while also painting Perez as an extremist who voted against the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
“John is running against Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, a true Radical Left Extremist with a Track Record that REEKS, and who does not represent the Values of Southwestern Washington,” he wrote on Truth Social in endorsing Braun.
As a candidate, Braun has focused more on “pocketbook issues like tax cuts and affordability than on ‘culture war’ topics,” Oregon Public Broadcasting reported in July. He said that in office, his two biggest priorities would be to keep the federal income tax rate low and promote energy production to keep prices down.
“Don’t just talk about small businesses,” he said, per OPB. “How do you actually make it better for them? You make it by helping keep their costs low.”
Braun told the outlet that he agrees with Trump’s policies, including preventing Iran from having a nuclear weapon. He parts ways with the president when it comes to tariffs, as tariffs on aluminum caused prices to go up with Braun’s business.
“While I wholeheartedly support the desire to bring manufacturing back to the U.S., I don’t think it’s as simple as changing the tariff in some cases,” Braun told OPB.
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