Washington's 3rd Congressional District election, 2024 (August 6 top-two primary)

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Washington's 3rd Congressional District
Top-two primary General election
Election details
Filing deadline: May 10, 2024
Primary: August 6, 2024 General: November 5, 2024
How to vote
Poll times: Poll opening hours vary; close at 8 p.m. Voting in Washington
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Toss-up DDHQ and The Hill: Lean Republican Inside Elections: Toss-up Sabato's Crystal Ball: Lean Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2024
See also
Washington's 3rd Congressional District U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th • 10th Washington elections, 2024 U.S. Congress elections, 2024 U.S. Senate elections, 2024 U.S. House elections, 2024 Alabama U.S. House racesAlaska U.S. House racesArizona U.S. House racesArkansas U.S. House racesCalifornia U.S. House racesColorado U.S. House racesConnecticut U.S. House racesDelaware U.S. House racesFlorida U.S. House racesGeorgia U.S. House racesHawaii U.S. House racesIdaho U.S. House racesIllinois U.S. House racesIndiana U.S. House racesIowa U.S. House racesKansas U.S. House racesKentucky U.S. House racesLouisiana U.S. House racesMaine U.S. House racesMaryland U.S. House racesMassachusetts U.S. House racesMichigan U.S. House racesMinnesota U.S. House racesMississippi U.S. House racesMissouri U.S. House racesMontana U.S. House racesNebraska U.S. House racesNevada U.S. House racesNew Hampshire U.S. House racesNew Jersey U.S. House racesNew Mexico U.S. House racesNew York U.S. House racesNorth Carolina U.S. House racesNorth Dakota U.S. House racesOhio U.S. House racesOklahoma U.S. House racesOregon U.S. House racesPennsylvania U.S. House racesRhode Island U.S. House racesSouth Carolina U.S. House racesSouth Dakota U.S. House racesTennessee U.S. House racesTexas U.S. House racesUtah U.S. House racesVermont U.S. House racesVirginia U.S. House racesWashington U.S. House racesWest Virginia U.S. House racesWisconsin U.S. House racesWyoming U.S. House racesSubmit

A top-two primary took place on August 6, 2024, in Washington's 3rd Congressional District to determine which two candidates would run in the district's general election on November 5, 2024.

Incumbent Marie Gluesenkamp Pérez and Joe Kent advanced from the primary for U.S. House Washington District 3.

Candidate filing deadline	Primary election	General election
May 10, 2024	August 6, 2024	November 5, 2024

Washington uses a top-two primary system, in which all candidates appear on the same ballot, for congressional and state-level elections. The top two vote-getters move on to the general election, regardless of their party affiliation. In states that do not use a top-two system, all parties are usually able to put forward a candidate for the general election if they choose to.

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

This page focuses on Washington's 3rd Congressional District's top-two primary. For more in-depth information on the district's general election, see the following page:

• Washington's 3rd Congressional District election, 2024

Candidates and election results

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for U.S. House Washington District 3

Incumbent Marie Gluesenkamp Pérez and Joe Kent defeated Leslie Lewallen and John Saulie-Rohman in the primary for U.S. House Washington District 3 on August 6, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Marie Gluesenkamp Pérez (D)	45.9	97,274
✔		Joe Kent (R)	39.3	83,389
		Leslie Lewallen (R)	12.2	25,868
		John Saulie-Rohman (Independent Party)	2.5	5,406
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	186

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 212,123
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Brent Hennrich (D)
• Leslie French (R)
• Davy Ray (D)

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Marie Gluesenkamp Pérez

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: Yes

Political Office: 

• U.S. House Washington District 3 (Assumed office: 2023)

Biography:  Gluesenkamp Pérez earned a bachelor’s degree from Reed College. Before entering elected office, she ran an automotive repair shop with her husband.

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Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

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Gluesenkamp Pérez said, “I ran for Congress to get a right-to-repair bill passed.” Her campaign website stated, “She is working to stop manufacturers of farm and consumer equipment from gouging their customers by forcing them to pay the original manufacturer for repairs.”

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Gluesenkamp Pérez said she supported doing “whatever it takes to secure the border and keep southwest Washington safe.” Her campaign website said she would “always fight to make sure state and local law enforcement agencies have the resources they need to keep Fentanyl and illegal guns off of our streets.”

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Gluesenkamp Pérez’s campaign website stated, “Marie will do whatever it takes to prevent a national abortion ban, which would override the will of the people of Washington State.”

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Show sources

Sources: The Chronicle, “Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez on world conflicts and hopelessness at home,” January 29, 2024; Gluesenkamp Pérez 2024 campaign website, “Issues,” accessed August 30, 2024; Facebook, “Gluesenkamp Pérez on June 24, 2024,” accessed August 30, 2024; Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, “PEREZ, Marie Gluesenkamp,” accessed August 30, 2024

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Washington District 3 in 2024.

Joe Kent

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Biography:  Kent is a retired Green Beret, former CIA field operative, and former foreign policy advisor to Donald Trump. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Norwich University.

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Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

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Kent called the economy “the biggest issue as it pretty much affects everybody” and said he would “oppose the endless deficits and big government spending that’s driving this record inflation.”

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On immigration, Kent said, “I believe that we must prioritize securing our border ahead of providing foreign aid to other nations and fighting in foreign wars.”

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On education, Kent said, “I’ll defend parental rights and expand access to school choice so that federal dollars follow the students and not the education bureaucracy. … I’ll require that our public schools defend girls’ sports and spaces from biological men.”

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Show sources

Sources: Washington State Standard, “Joe Kent is campaigning differently. Will it make a difference?,” June 6, 2024; Facebook, “Kent on August 2, 2024,” accessed August 30, 2024; The Chronicle, “Joe Kent focuses on immigration, war during town hall,” June 5, 2024; X, “Kent on June 5, 2023,” accessed August 30, 2024; YouTube, “Joe Kent: Big Disagreements,” September 26, 2023; Linkedin, “Joe Kent,” accessed August 30, 2024; Kent 2024 campaign website, “Meet Joe Kent,” accessed August 30, 2024

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Washington District 3 in 2024.

John Saulie-Rohman

Party: Independent Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography:  "I am dedicated to uniting the American people, prioritizing the country before party politics, protecting civil liberties, and pledging allegiance to America, not any other nation. Our Congress is compromised. Lobbying and special interests inject billions of dollars to steer legislative policies in their favor, to the detriment of the American people. The atrocities unfolding every day before our eyes in Gaza have made clear the power these campaign contributions have over our elected representatives. Millions of dollars are pouring into re-election campaigns in support of a foreign government, a disservice to our country and their oath. Our representatives readily commit our tax dollars and diplomatic support for the continuation of clear violations of international law. Our civil liberties are foundational to a thriving democracy and I will seek to protect those without compromise. I support investing in public education, allowing our educational professionals to teach our children to be independent critical thinkers and problem solvers. I support investing in our crumbling infrastructure which has been starved of vital funding through unsustainable tax cuts and loopholes enjoyed by large corporations, while we shoulder the true costs. I recognize and support the vital role of local, small businesses in our communities. I support a woman's right to choose. I will seek diplomatic solutions to conflicts and work to stop the cycle of endless war. This is America first."

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Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

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I will represent the voice of my constituents, unbound by partisan politics and special interests. I will work to stop the cycle of endless war and prioritize the many domestic issues we face at home. Our civil liberties are being systematically dismantled and I will advocate for our constitutional rights, the bedrock of democracy. I will uphold, without compromise, my oath to office, our freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, and right to privacy.

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Our public education system is suffering. We must revitalize the principles of critical thinking and problem solving by allowing our teachers the freedom to do what they were trained to do and prepare the next generation to tackle the problems we face today.

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Our infrastructure is being starved of vital funding due to unsustainable tax cuts and loopholes enjoyed by large corporations and we are shouldering the costs. Our water, roads, bridges, and schools lack adequate funding and I will work to address those by rooting out corruption and addressing policies which do not prioritize the American people.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Washington District 3 in 2024.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Washington

Election information in Washington: Aug. 6, 2024, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

• In-person: Aug. 6, 2024
• By mail: Received by July 29, 2024
• Online: July 29, 2024

Was absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

N/A

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

• In-person: N/A
• By mail: N/A by N/A
• Online: N/A

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

• In-person: Aug. 6, 2024
• By mail: Postmarked by Aug. 6, 2024

Was early voting available to all voters?

N/A

What were the early voting start and end dates?

July 19, 2024 to Aug. 6, 2024

Were all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, was a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When were polls open on Election Day?

N/A

Campaign finance

Name	Party	Receipts*	Disbursements**	Cash on hand	Date
Marie Gluesenkamp Pérez	Democratic Party	$11,856,002	$11,895,854	$26,460	As of December 31, 2024
Joe Kent	Republican Party	$2,654,420	$2,708,358	$-1,032	As of December 31, 2024
Leslie Lewallen	Republican Party	$840,313	$840,313	$0	As of December 31, 2024
John Saulie-Rohman	Independent Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2024. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC). * According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." ** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election. *** Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.

District analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about voter composition, past elections, and demographics in both the district and the state.

• District map - A map of the district in place for the election.
• Competitiveness - Information about the competitiveness of 2024 U.S. House elections in the state.
• Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the district and the state.
• State party control - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.

• District map
• Competitiveness
• Presidential elections
• State party control

Below was the map in use at the time of the election. Click the map below to enlarge it.

See also: Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2024

This section contains data on U.S. House primary election competitiveness in Washington.

Washington U.S. House competitiveness, 2014-2024
Office	Districts/ offices	Seats	Open seats	Candidates	Possible primaries	Contested top-two primaries	% of contested primaries	Incumbents in contested primaries	% of incumbents in contested primaries
2024	10	10	2	62	10	10	100.0%	8	100.0%
2022	10	10	0	68	10	10	100.0%	10	100.0%
2020	10	10	1	73	10	10	100.0%	9	100.0%
2018	10	10	1	49	10	8	80.0%	7	77.8%
2016	10	10	1	56	10	10	100.0%	9	100.0%
2014	10	10	1	49	10	10	100.0%	9	100.0%

Post-filing deadline analysis

The following analysis covers all U.S. House districts up for election in Washington in 2024. Information below was calculated on June 4, 2024, and may differ from information shown in the table above due to candidate replacements and withdrawals after that time.

Sixty-two candidates ran for Washington’s 10 U.S. House districts, including 26 Democrats, 25 Republicans, three Independents, and eight non-major party candidates. That’s an average of 6.2 candidates per district. That’s lower than the 6.8 candidates per district in 2022 and the 7.3 in 2020.

The 5th and 6th Congressional Districts were open in 2024, meaning no incumbents ran for re-election. That’s the most open districts in an election cycle this decade.

Incumbent Reps. Cathy McMorris Rogers (R-05) and Derek Kilmer (D-06) did not run for re-election because they retired from public office.

Eleven candidates—five Democrats and six Republicans—ran for the open 5th Congressional District, the most candidates who ran for a seat in Washington in 2024.

All 10 primaries were contested in 2024. Between 2022 and 2014, an average of 9.6 primaries were contested per year.

Eight incumbents—seven Democrats and one Republican—were in contested primaries in 2024. Between 2022 and 2014, an average of 8.8 incumbents were in contested primaries per year.

No districts were guaranteed to either party because Democratic and Republican candidates filed to run in all 10 districts. Washington utilizes a top-two primary system. In a top-two primary system, all candidates are listed on the same ballot. The top two vote-getters, regardless of their partisan affiliations, advance to the general election.

Partisan Voter Index

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Heading into the 2024 elections, based on results from the 2020 and 2016 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+5. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 5 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Washington's 3rd the 194th most Republican district nationally.

2020 presidential election results

The table below shows what the vote in the 2020 presidential election would have been in this district. The presidential election data was compiled by Daily Kos.

2020 presidential results in Washington's 3rd based on 2024 district lines
Joe Biden	Donald Trump
46.6%	50.8%

Inside Elections Baselines

See also: Inside Elections

Inside Elections' Baseline is a figure that analyzes all federal and statewide election results from the district over the past four election cycles. The results are combined in an index estimating the strength of a typical Democratic or Republican candidate in the congressional district. The table below displays the Baseline data for this district.

Inside Elections Baseline for 2024
Democratic Baseline	Republican Baseline	Difference
45.6	53.7	D+8.1

Presidential voting history

See also: Presidential election in Washington, 2020

Washington presidential election results (1900-2020)

• 17 Democratic wins
• 13 Republican wins
• 1 other win

Year	1900	1904	1908	1912	1916	1920	1924	1928	1932	1936	1940	1944	1948	1952	1956	1960	1964	1968	1972	1976	1980	1984	1988	1992	1996	2000	2004	2008	2012	2016	2020
Winning Party	R	R	R	P	D	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	D	D	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D

See also: Party control of Washington state government

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of Washington's congressional delegation as of May 2024.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Washington
Party	U.S. Senate	U.S. House	Total
Democratic	2	8	10
Republican	0	2	2
Independent	0	0	0
Vacancies	0	0	0
Total	2	10	12

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in Washington's top four state executive offices as of May 2024.

State executive officials in Washington, May 2024
Office	Officeholder
Governor	Jay Inslee
Lieutenant Governor	Denny Heck
Secretary of State	Steve Hobbs
Attorney General	Bob Ferguson

State legislature

Washington State Senate

Party		As of NFebruary 2024
	Democratic Party	29
	Republican Party	20
	Other	0
	Vacancies	0
Total		49

Washington House of Representatives

Party		As of February 2024
	Democratic Party	58
	Republican Party	40
	Other	0
	Vacancies	0
Total		98

Trifecta control

The table below shows the state's trifecta status from 1992 until the 2024 election.

Washington Party Control: 1992-2024
Eighteen years of Democratic trifectas  •  No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24
Governor	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
Senate	R	D	D	D	D	R	R	D	D	D	D	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
House	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	S	S	S	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D

Ballot access

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Washington in the 2024 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Washington, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2024
State	Office	Party	Signatures required	Filing fee	Filing deadline	Source
Washington	U.S. House	Ballot-qualified candidates	1,740	$1,740.00	5/10/2024	Source
Washington	U.S. House	Unaffiliated candidates	1,000	N/A	8/2/2024	Source

See also

• Washington's 3rd Congressional District election, 2024
• United States House elections in Washington, 2024 (August 6 top-two primaries)
• United States House Democratic Party primaries, 2024
• United States House Republican Party primaries, 2024
• United States House of Representatives elections, 2024
• U.S. House battlegrounds, 2024

External links

Suggest a link

• Search Google News for this topic

Footnotes

[show]

Washington's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Maria Cantwell (D)

Patty Murray (D)

Representatives

District 1

Suzan DelBene (D)

District 2

Rick Larsen (D)

District 3

Marie Gluesenkamp Pérez (D)

District 4

Dan Newhouse (R)

District 5

Michael Baumgartner (R)

District 6

Emily Randall (D)

District 7

Pramila Jayapal (D)

District 8

Kim Schrier (D)

District 9

D. Adam Smith (D)

District 10

Marilyn Strickland (D)

Democratic Party (10)

Republican Party (2)

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