CLARK COUNTY, Wash — Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez was named as the winner in Washington's 3rd Congressional District, defeating Republican Joe Kent, according to The Associated Press.
Gluesenkamp Perez's victory gives the Democrats a U.S. House seat in a district that had been held by Republican Jaime Herrera Beutler since 2011. Kent defeated Herrera Beutler in the primary in May, setting up the race against Gluesenkamp Perez.
"I am humbled and honored by the vote of confidence the people of Southwest Washington have put in me and my campaign," she said in a statement released Saturday. "Right up to the end, far-away pundits and prognosticators said this race couldn't be won. They dismissed the possibility that a moderate Democrat focused on prioritizing the needs of this district over partisan point scoring could win in a rural, working class district."
On Saturday, after multiple outlets called the race for Gluesenkamp Perez, Kent tweeted that he won't concede. "It's another narrative designed to stop voters from ballot curing & to force me to concede - not gonna happen," Kent said in the tweet.
Gluesenkamp Perez has led the race since election night on Tuesday. The latest update shows that she’s received nearly 51% of the vote. A self-described moderate Democrat, she supports abortion access and policies to counter climate change, but also is a gun owner who said she opposes an assault rifle ban, though she does support raising the age of purchase for such guns to 21.
Kent, a former Green Beret who is a regular on conservative cable and podcasts, called for the impeachment of President Joe Biden and an investigation into the 2020 election. He also railed against COVID shutdowns and vaccine mandates and called to defund the FBI after the search on former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home for classified documents.
Here's the full statement released Saturday by Gluesenkamp-Perez:
"I am humbled and honored by the vote of confidence the people of Southwest Washington have put in me and my campaign. Right up to the end, far-away pundits and prognosticators said this race couldn't be won. They dismissed the possibility that a moderate Democrat focused on prioritizing the needs of this district over partisan point scoring could win in a rural, working class district.
"But national pundits did not know this district and its communities the way we do here on the ground. I know the people in my district are looking for representation that focuses on finding common ground and delivering results, not the extreme hyperpartisanship and clickbait politics offered by my opponent. They want their independent voice in Congress to be a small business owner and a mom who works in the trades, not an extreme politician seeking celebrity.
"At the outset of the general election campaign we said this race would be a bellwether for the direction of our politics and the strength of our democracy, and that remains true today. Joe Kent's candidacy gave voice to some of the darkest impulses in our politics: white nationalism, xenophobia, and authoritarianism. Southwest Washington looked them straight in the eye and said no - not here, not now, not ever.
The people have spoken, not just here but all around the country: they want representatives who will seek to build rather than destroy, who will listen and do the work rather than bask in celebrity, and who will focus on substance, not slogans or sound bites. To the people of Southwest Washington: I pledge to you that I will work every day to live up to the responsibility you have placed in me, and will deliver the help working and middle class families need."
The Associated Press contributed to this article.