Trump-backed Republican advances to face vulnerable Democrat in key House battleground

Republicans just took a major step forward in their goal to keep the House majority this November.

A GOP hopeful backed by President Donald Trump advanced in a jungle primary for Washington's 3rd Congressional District alongside Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash., and the two will now face each other in this fall's general election.

A jungle primary is a race that's not separated by political party, but rather has all candidates compete on one ballot. The top two vote-getters advance to the general election.

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Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash., walks up the House steps for the final votes in the Capitol before Congress' October recess on Sept. 25, 2024. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)

In this case, Gluesenkamp Perez and Republican state Sen. John Braun are the two winners who will now compete for the former's seat in the House of Representatives.

For Gluesenkamp Perez, that meant surviving challenges from her left flank. Among her opponents was Brent Hennrich, a progressive politician who ran on policies like taxing the rich and Medicare for All.

He accused the moderate Democrat of siding too often with Republicans at the expense of the left's agenda, including on his campaign website, where he highlighted all the times she voted with the GOP.

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President Donald Trump announces the Freedom Haulers initiative on West Executive Avenue in Washington, D.C., on July 30, 2026. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

But Gluesenkamp Perez, who is seeking a third term, is likely Democrats' best chance to keep hold of that swing district in Southwest Washington state.

And the race is shaping up to be one of the most competitive House elections in the country with Braun's victory as well.

Unlike former Trump administration official Joe Kent, whose association with far-right groups made him a controversial figure in a general election, Braun is a much more mainstream GOP figure.

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Joseph Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, during a House Homeland Security Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 11, 2025. (Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Kent ran and lost against Gluesenkamp Perez twice before serving as Trump's director of the National Counterterrorism Center from 2025 until earlier this year.

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Braun is a former Navy captain and businessman who is running on a pledge to stop reckless spending by the federal government. He's currently serving as minority leader of the Washington State Senate.

In an April 2026 Truth Social post, Trump said Braun "will work hard to Grow the Economy, Cut Taxes and Regulations, Promote MADE IN THE U.S.A., Keep our Border SECURE, Stop Migrant Crime, Support our Great Military/Veterans, and Defend our always under siege Second Amendment."