ICYMI: Marie Gluesenkamp Perez is in Trouble

In case you missed it, Inside Elections shifted WA-03 to a Toss-Up, underscoring what’s becoming increasingly clear: Marie Gluesenkamp Perez is in serious trouble.

Now, one of the most vulnerable Democrats in the country is staring down a brutal political reality in a seat President Trump carried.

Read more here or read excerpts below: 

WA-03 is now a Toss-up: Gluesenkamp Perez hemorrhages base support as her numbers crater
The Seattle Red
May 22, 2026

Inside Elections upgraded Washington’s 3rd Congressional District from “Tilt Democratic” to “Toss-up” on Thursday, the latest sign that Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez is running out of road heading into 2026.

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A recent NRCC poll, conducted by co/efficient among 982 likely general election voters, shows Republican challenger John Braun leading by seven points, 41% to 34%, with 26% still undecided. Half the district views the congresswoman unfavorably, producing a net image of negative 30 points. The breakdown is worse: independents go 49% unfavorable, young voters hit 46%, and a third of her own party rates her negatively.

That last number is why Gluesenkamp Perez is pulling only 69% of Democrats on the congressional ballot. Inside Elections flagged her ongoing base problems, writing that while she should clear the top-two primary, the general against Braun is getting less comfortable in a district where Trump finished three points ahead of Kamala Harris.

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For a congresswoman who routinely presents herself as a check on her party’s worst impulses, saying nothing was a choice, and voters in a Trump-won district noticed.

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Her congressional office has been hemorrhaging staff at an accelerating rate, her approval is underwater with independents, and the Democratic brand in the district sits at negative 28 points according to the same NRCC survey. 

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