VANCOUVER, Wash. — U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson visited Vancouver Saturday to help campaign for Trump-backed Republican Congressional candidate Joe Kent.
Kent is running against Democratic incumbent and freshman Congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp Perez in a rematch this November. In 2022, Gluesenkamp Perez narrowly defeated Kent in the race for Washington's District 3.
"This is one of the top five races in the country. Everybody's attention is on it," Johnson said.
Both Johnson and Kent quickly attacked Democrats' policies Saturday.
"The out-of-control spending in Washington, D.C. driven by Kamala Harris, Joe Biden — that's got to get taken care of," Kent said.
In 2022, Kent lost the seat to Gluesenkamp Perez by just over 2,000 votes. Republicans believe he can win back the seat, since Gluesenkamp Perez now has a voting record.
"Gluesenkamp Perez now has a voting record, and it is one of the worst in all of Congress," Johnson claimed.
Prior to 2022, Washington’s 3rd District was staunchly Republican for a decade. From 2011 to 2023, it was represented by Republican Jaime Herrera Beutler. But after Herrera Beutler voted to impeach former President Donald Trump following the Jan. 6 Capitol riots, she was ousted in the primary by Kent. Herrera Beutler is running for the state's commissioner of public lands, a race also set for November.
KGW also reached out to Gluesenkamp Perez’s campaign for an interview but have not heard back.
On Friday, though, Gluesenkamp Perez wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Johnson was coming to Vancouver to raise money for her "white nationalist opponent." She went on to write that Johnson should instead join her at a different event for a "real feel of Southwest Washington values."
Recently, Gluesenkamp Perez told KGW that her work over the past two years has boosted up her region.
"My hope is that by staying focused on being useful to my community, I have built a bridge," Gluesenkamp Perez said.