Voters in Washington state participated in a primary on Tuesday, August 2 and in at least one race, the result is too close to call. The State of Washington has a "Top 2" primary system for choosing who advances to the general election and incumbent CD3 Congressional Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler is in danger of being knocked out in the primary by challenger Joe Kent. The results have not yet been certified.

Kent or Buetler will almost certainly face left-leaning Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, a graduate of Reed College in Portland and an owner of an independent auto-repair shop. Kent grew up in Portland and is an Army veteran and a Gold Star husband, having lost his wife Shannon in Afghanistan. Kent is an unabashed conservative who is endorsed by former President Donald Trump.

According to the Washington Secretary of State, "The Washington Top 2 Primary allows voters to choose among all candidates running for each office. Voters do not have to declare a party affiliation to vote in the primary.

Marie Gluesenkamp Perez	(Prefers Democratic Party)	64,718	30.97%
Joe Kent	(Prefers Republican Party)	47,623	22.79%
Jaime Herrera Beutler	(Prefers Republican Party)	46,663	22.33%
Heidi St. John	(Prefers Republican Party)	33,525	16.04%
Vicki Kraft	(Prefers Republican Party)	6,604	3.16%
Davy Ray	(Prefers Democratic Party)	4,639	2.22%
Chris Byrd	(Prefers None / Independent Party)	3,606	1.73%
Leslie L. French	(Prefers Republican Party)	1,037	0.5%
Oliver Black	(Prefers Am. Solidarity Party)	433	0.21%
WRITE-IN		145	0.07%
Total Votes		208,993

"Candidates for partisan office may state a preference for a political party, which is listed on the ballot. The two candidates who receive the most votes in the Primary Election qualify for the General Election. Candidates must also receive at least 1% of the votes cast in that race to advance to the General Election."

Herrera Buetler has been under criticism by conservative Republicans for, among other things voting to impeach then President Trump. Many experts consider this primary result as a bellwether of GOP anger.

Washington's 3rd congressional district encompasses the southernmost portion of western and central Washington. It includes the counties of Lewis, Pacific, Wahkiakum, Cowlitz, Clark, Skamania, part of Thurston, and Klickitat.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2022-08-09 09:40:49

Last Update: 2022-08-09 11:01:21