New ad fires up debate in closely-watched WA congressional race

Democratic U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and Republican state Sen. John Braun faced off for their final debate Tuesday, each looking to more clearly mark their turf on federal policies and social issues with voters beginning to cast ballots in their nationally-watched contest.

They parried on an array of subjects for the better part of an hour, with some exchanges exposing clear differences, others few degrees of separation.

In the waning moments, Gluesenkamp Perez got personal, questioning Braun’s lack of outreach to the family of a man killed in an accident at Braun’s company two years ago. She raised the matter hours after launching a campaign ad featuring a son of the man who died in that workplace incident who says that Braun “never called.” The son worked for the company at the time.

“You owe that family an apology,” she said in the debate.

Braun responded curtly. “This is a new low for Marie,” he said. “Here’s the reality. I talked to the son twice that day. I didn’t call him. I talked to him in person.”

Moments later when the debate concluded, Braun approached and spoke briefly to the two-term incumbent before they exited the studio of Portland television station KATU.

“I said I didn’t think she had a soul,” Braun told the Standard on Wednesday. 

“This is a character attack,” he continued. “This was a terrible tragic accident. We did everything we could to do this right. To say we didn’t try, it’s heartless.”

Gluesenkamp Perez did not reply to Braun’s post-debate comment, her campaign manager said Wednesday.

The man’s son “came to us because he believed voters deserved to hear what happened to him, despite knowing it could cost him personally. It’s disappointing that Braun has resorted to personal attacks,” campaign manager Tim Gowen wrote in email.

The ad-fueled tension is the latest flashpoint in this match-up in the 3rd Congressional District seat in southwest Washington. It is among a handful of competitive congressional races nationwide, the outcome of which could help determine which party holds the majority in the House next year. 

Gluesenkamp Perez is seeking a third term against Braun, the Republican leader in the state Senate. The district encompasses Clark, Cowlitz, Lewis, Pacific, Wahkiakum, and Skamania counties and a small part of Thurston County. 

President Donald Trump won it three times, evidence of its Republican lean. But the GOP lost the congressional seat in 2022 when Gluesenkamp Perez, co-owner of an auto repair and machine shop and a Democratic newcomer, beat Republican Joe Kent, a former Army Special Forces soldier who Trump backed.

She defeated him in their rematch in 2024 by a wider margin while in the presidential race, Trump soundly beat Democrat Kamala Harris in the congressional district.

Braun, a Centralia resident in his fourth term as a state senator, brings legislative experience, electoral know-how and a brand of Republicanism he hopes will appeal to independent and moderate GOP voters who shunned Kent, who promoted conspiracy theories and asserted that the 2020 election results were fraudulent.

On Tuesday, each candidate stuck to their general talking points as they worked through an array of topics.

On tariffs, both frowned on the Trump administration approach.

Gluesenkamp Perez said they “are a tool that can be used recklessly or productively” and the administration has done “a terrible job” of carrying out “a strategic, thoughtful” policy that will help restore manufacturing.

Braun, owner of Braun Northwest Inc., an emergency response vehicle manufacturer, said tariffs are not a means to revitalize the manufacturing sector. “With our allies, indiscriminate use of tariffs is not helpful and ultimately leads to an increase of prices for manufacturers and consumers,” he said.

On a question about the Iran war, Gluesenkamp Perez said she had voted against U.S. military action and pushed for Congress to exercise its oversight under the war powers resolution. The president “has gone into this war recklessly, with no clear objectives and no strategy to achieve them,” she said. 

Braun, in his response, said Iran cannot be allowed to build nuclear weapons and long-range ballistic missiles. But, he sounded ready to buck Trump – who has endorsed him. “I will not, and I do not support a war without clear objectives and without a clear ending point. I think Congress has a very important role here, one they should exercise,” he said.

On data centers, Braun says they can be “enormously positive” if companies “build trust” with communities and assure promised benefits are delivered. Each “absolutely should either provide power or work with the local utility to make sure they’re investing in infrastructure that will bring down the cost of power for everyone,” he said.

Gluesenkamp Perez said communities surrounding data centers “need to be held harmless” from effects of noise pollution and rising energy costs. There should be thresholds for how much power a center is allowed to consume or a different rate set for their energy usage, she said. 

On the subject of allowing trans girls to play in girls’ sports, they both said it is unfair. 

Braun would ban their participation. “For decades, we fought for a fair playing field for women. Now, for reasons I can’t fully explain, here in 2026, we want to undo all that. I think it’s unfair. I think it’s unsafe, and it’s the wrong path for our state and our country,” he said.

Gluesenkamp Perez described herself as “libertarian on this issue.” Continuing, she said, “fundamentally, I agree it’s not fair for boys to compete in girls’ sports” but the final decisions on competition “are best made by local stakeholders.”

Source: Washington State Standard

This article was originally published by Washington State Standard.