Winners declared in 'top two' primary for Washington's 3rd Congressional District

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Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and Republican Joe Kent have finished first and second in Washington state’s primary in the 3rd congressional district setting up a one on one matchup in November.

Washington state uses a top two primary system in which all candidates regardless of party appear on the primary ballot and the top two candidates.

Gluesenkamp Perez has represented Washington’s 3rd Congressional District, which consists of the southwestern counties of Lewis, Pacific, Wahkiakum, Cowlitz, Clark, and Skamania, as well as a small portion of southern Thurston county, since 2022.

Two years ago, Gluesenkamp Perez came out of nowhere to win a congressional seat against Kent, who had Trump’s backing in a district that hadn’t been in Democratic hands for over a decade. She took over a seat held by a more moderate Republican who lost the primary in part because she voted to impeach Trump after the January 6th Capitol Hill riot.

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Washington state employs a top two voting system (Getty Images)

Kent, who narrowly lost to Gluesenkamp Perez by less than a percentage point in 2022, was recently endorsed by Trump for the second time.

"Joe is a Gold Star Husband, who bravely served our country as a Special Forces Combat Veteran," Trump wrote in his endorsement. 

"His opponents cannot compete with Joe in any way, shape or form! In Congress, Joe will work tirelessly to Grow the Economy, Stop Inflation, Uphold the Rule of Law, Secure our Border, Support our Military/Vets, and protect our always-under-siege Second Amendment."

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Washington, DC - July 27 :  Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.) poses for portraits on Capitol Hill on Thursday, July 27, 2023, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images) (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Gluesenkamp Perez, who was ranked by the Lugar Center and the Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy as having one of the most bipartisan voting records in the U.S. House, is yet to endorse VP Kamala Harris for president and her office told Fox News Digital late last month that she has "no plans" to do so. 

Republican Leslie Lewallen and Independent John Saulie-Rohman also ran in the 3rd Congressional District primary.

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Republican Congressional candidate Joe Kent speaks at a campaign event on October 5, 2022 in Morton, Washington.  (Nathan Howard/Getty Images)

Kent faced stiff competition from Lewallen, a former King County prosecutor, as she gained a groundswell of support from conservatives looking to move the seat back into more moderate Republican hands.

Associated Press contributed to this report