(NewsNation) — NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ has called the race for Washington’s District 3 seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in favor of incumbent Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez. See the results of U.S. House and U.S. Senate races from around the country here.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez faced a rematch against Republican Joe Kent, who she narrowly defeated in 2022.
Their second face off in the 3rd Congressional District was one of the most competitive House races and drew national attention being one of the key seats that would determine the balance of power in the House.
Washington’s 3rd Congressional District was one of 21 seats whose House representative is of the opposing party to the presidential candidate.
Gluesenkamp Perez, an auto repair shop owner, flipped the Republican seat two years ago beating Kent by just 2,629 votes, in a district that former president Donald Trump won in the last two elections. She became the first Democrat to hold the district seat in over a decade.
She had been regarded as one of the more purple or moderate Democrats breaking party lines on several issues which had increased her standing among more moderate Republicans, reported the Washington Standard. She had tiptoed around endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris during her campaign.
But she was still facing an uphill battle against Kent.
Kent is an Army Special Forces veteran, who is known for his right-leaning stances and loyalty to former President Donald Trump who endorsed him in the race.
He beat six-term Republican Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler during the Republican primary after Beutler faced backlash for voting to impeach Trump after the former president’s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
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During the 2022 election, Kent was outspoken on election fraud conspiracies and against a national ban on abortion, the outlet reported.
His approach shifted this time around and Kent focused more on economy and immigration, which had become a flashpoint in the election.
With so much attention on the 3rd District, the race became highly contentious with both candidates rolling out negative political ads.
Kent pushed for mass deportations of undocumented immigrants and ending birthright citizenship. He also accused Gluesenkamp Perez of not being tough on border security.
True to her moderate position, Gluesenkamp Perez has aligned herself on border security with many GOP lawmakers.
Heading into Tuesday’s election, all 435 seats in the House of Representatives were up for election. Republicans control the chamber with a narrow majority of 220 seats while the Democrats occupy 212 and three vacancies.
