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In this article, the surname is Gluesenkamp Perez, not Perez.
On June 4, 1988, Kristina Marie Gluesenkamp Perez was born as Kristina Marie Pérez in Harris County, Texas.[2] Her father immigrated from Mexico,[3] while her mother's family has roots in Washington.[4] Her parents met at Western Washington University and then moved to Texas.[5] Her father was a pastor at an evangelical church.[4] The youngest of four children, she grew up in Houston, Texas[4] in a family where her mother home-schooled her children in their early years.[4]
Gluesenkamp Perez comes from a long line of loggers on her mother's side.[4] Her great-great-grandfather was a quarryforeman in Washington,[5] and her grandfather, Herbert Gilmore, was a carpenter in Bellevue.[4]
After high school, Gluesenkamp Perez initially attended Warren Wilson College and then transferred to Reed College in Portland, Oregon.[4] She worked in a cafe and at a manufacturing plant to pay for tuition.[4] Gluesenkamp Perez graduated from college in 2012[2] with a degree in economics. She met her husband, Dean Gluesenkamp, while co-managing Reed Bike Co-Op[6] at Reed College.[4][5] They opened an automobile repair shop and moved to rural Skamania County in Washington, where they built their own home.[7][8]
Gluesenkamp Perez outside the United States Capitol before her congressional inauguration
In 2022, Gluesenkamp Perez ran for the U.S. House of Representatives to represent Washington's 3rd congressional district. She advanced from Washington's nonpartisan blanket primary in which candidates from all parties are listed on the same primary ballot, and the top two finishers, regardless of party, move on to the general election.[15] Gluesenkamp Perez finished first in the primary with 31% of the vote, while Republican Joe Kent came in second, narrowly defeating the incumbent, Republican Jaime Herrera Beutler, by 0.5%. Another Republican, Heidi St. John, finished fourth with 16.0%, and the second Democratic candidate, Davy Ray, garnered 2.2%. Before the primary, Brent Hennrich, a Democrat who had led in two early polls, withdrew from the race and endorsed Gluesenkamp Perez.[19]
The general election's rating varied from "Lean R", according to The Cook Political Report, to "Solid R" in FiveThirtyEight's House of Representatives forecast.[20][21]FiveThirtyEight estimated that Gluesenkamp Perez had a 2% chance of winning the general election over Kent, and was expected to receive 43.6% of the popular vote. She led in one of two polls and was trailing in the other; both were within the margin of error.[22] Her subsequent narrow victory received widespread national attention, with The Seattle Times calling it "the most stunning political upset in the country this year",[3] and "a microcosm of the midterms".[23][24] Kent conceded on December 21, following a recount.[25][26]
In 2024, Gluesenkamp Perez defeated Kent in a rematch.[27] As both a freshman and a representative of a crossover district, the 3rd district received national interest from both sides, and so Gluesenkamp Perez was the only crossover freshman Democrat to be re-elected.[citation needed]
Gluesenkamp Perez campaigned as a moderate Democrat, supporting both abortion rights and Second Amendment rights. She emphasized her focus on small businesses, job training, local issues such as the timber industry, and expressed opposition to political extremism.[3][37] Following her election, she has taken a role as a co-chair of the Blue Dog Coalition and has joined the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus. Her record has been criticized by pro-choice activists and student debt activists.[33]
Gluesenkamp Perez supports abortion access, citing her personal experience having a dilation and curettage procedure after a miscarriage.[39][40][41]KGW described her support for abortion rights as "a tenet of her campaign".[39] In January 2023, she voted against the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which would criminalize healthcare providers in failing to provide care for an infant born alive after an abortion attempt.[42]
Foreign policy
Gluesenkamp Perez has taken positions on United States defense and foreign aid legislation concerning Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and other matters. In February 2024 she co-sponsored the Defending Borders, Defending Democracies Act, which proposed $66.32 billion in defense-only funding, including approximately $47.7 billion for Ukraine, as well as funding for Israel and Taiwan.[43] In April 2024 she voted for a supplemental appropriations package that provided defense aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, and humanitarian relief to civilians in Gaza and Ukraine. In a press release on her official website and in posts to her social media accounts she stated that she voted "to rearm Ukraine against Putin’s Russia, help Israel defend itself against Hamas, and get humanitarian relief to innocent civilians in Gaza and Ukraine".[44]
Ukraine–Russia
Gluesenkamp Perez has supported military assistance to Ukraine since taking office. In addition to her co-sponsorship of the Defending Borders, Defending Democracies Act, she has issued statements in support of Ukrainian sovereignty and has held constituent meetings on related issues. In June 2025 she hosted a career roundtable with Ukrainian community members in Washington's 3rd congressional district, which she said was intended to discuss work authorization processes for refugees and to reaffirm support for Ukraine.[45]
Israel and Palestine
Gluesenkamp Perez has voted for multiple measures providing aid to Israel. On February 7, 2024 she supported the Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, stating that she voted "to ensure our ally Israel… can defend itself against terrorist threats" and that Congress should also consider border security, support for Ukraine and humanitarian aid.[46] In April 2024 she reiterated her support for defense aid to Israel alongside Ukraine and Taiwan and humanitarian relief to civilians in Gaza.[44] In October 2023 she co-sponsored H.R. 768, titled "Standing with Israel as it defends itself against the barbaric war launched by Hamas".[47] She was among a group of lawmakers who signed a letter to the United States Secretary of State opposing South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice alleging genocide in Gaza.[48] According to Federal Election Commission filings, her campaign has received contributions from individuals affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).[49]
Viewpoint on Israel and Iran
Gluesenkamp Perez has stated that the October 7 Hamas attacks were "the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust" and that Israel "has the right to defend itself as a liberal democracy, particularly in a region where rights for women and LGBTQ people are at risk."[50] She emphasized that U.S. support for Israel advances national security by supporting democracies and preventing adversaries from exploiting any withdrawal of U.S. support.[50] She supported freezing Iranian assets, citing "the need to hold Iran accountable for its support of terrorist groups and to prevent future acts of terrorism.[51]
Taiwan and China
As part of the April 2024 supplemental appropriations bill Gluesenkamp Perez voted for funding for Taiwan’s defense.[44]
Defense appropriations
In July 2025, Gluesenkamp Perez voted for the fiscal year 2026 Department of Defense Appropriations Act. Her press release stated that the legislation included a 3.8% pay raise for service members, $40 billion for military healthcare and $1 billion to combat drug trafficking, and did not increase overall defense spending.[52]
Gun control
Gluesenkamp Perez opposes an outright ban on assault weapons but supports raising the age required to purchase an assault weapon from 18 to 21.[53][39] She voted against a bill to repeal a pistol brace ban in 2023. The ban was ruled unconstitutional a year later.[54]
Immigration
Gluesenkamp Perez supports the reinstatement of Title 42 expulsions and the Remain in Mexico policy to curtail illegal immigration.[55] In July 2024, she cast one of five Democratic votes to condemn the Biden administration's handling of the United States border.[56]
In January 2025, Gluesenkamp Perez was one of 48 Democrats to vote for the Laken Riley Act, which requires U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain undocumented immigrants charged with theft.[57] She later became one of 46 House Democrats who joined all Republicans to vote for a Senate-amended version of the bill.[58]
Inflation
Gluesenkamp Perez blames inflation on companies outsourcing jobs, and states that is the top issue affecting voters in her district.[39] She has called for both increased usage of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in the short term and a long-term increase in the number of jobs available in green industries.[59]
Infrastructure
Gluesenkamp Perez speaking about the I-5 Bridge replacement project after helping secure $2.1 billion of funding
Gluesenkamp Perez has emphasized her role in securing $2.1billion in federal funding to rebuild the Interstate Bridge, which carries Interstate 5 across the Columbia River.[60][61] Citing the economic losses experienced in her district from landslides, she co-sponsored the renewal of the National Landslide Preparedness Act in 2024.[62]
Military and veterans
On July 2023, Gluesenkamp Perez voted to pass the annual National Defense Authorization Act that included provisions to bar Pentagon spending for abortion and transgender surgeries.[63] She defended her vote by saying the Senate would "clean up" the bill.[60] In early 2024, Gluesenkamp Perez introduced the Rural Veterans Transportation to Care Act that would expand transportation to veterans attempting to access medical care. In July, after a letter she had sent earlier received no response, she hand delivered a petition to the head of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) requesting the reopening of a VA clinic in Lewis County. The prior clinic was closed in 2021 and replaced with a limited mobile care unit, requiring approximately 3,000 veterans in the county to travel out of the area to Olympia, Washington.[64]
Right-to-repair
Gluesenkamp Perez visits Burton Mill Solutions
In May 2023, Gluesenkamp Perez helped introduce the REPAIR Act and the SMART Act, two bipartisan right-to-repair bills that seek to require auto manufacturers to share parts, tools, and data needed for repairs at lower costs.[65]
Student debt
Gluesenkamp Perez voted against a student debt relief plan proposed by the White House in 2023. She was one of only two House Democrats to do so, along with Jared Golden of Maine.[66] At the time, she said that "expansions of student debt forgiveness need to be matched dollar-for-dollar with investments in career [and] technical education. I can't support the first without the other. The severe shortage of trades workers needs to be seen [and] treated as a national priority."[67][68]
Voting rights and electoral reform
Gluesenkamp Perez believes that vote by mail is safe and has refuted unsubstantiated claims of widespread fraud among mail-in ballots.[39] In July 2024, she was one of only five out of 198 Democrats who voted with the Republican majority to pass the SAVE Act (H.R.8281, Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act), which would require those registering to vote to provide documentary proof of United States citizenship.[69]
On April 10, 2025, Gluesenkamp Perez was one of only four Democrats who joined all of the Republicans in the House in voting in favor of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, commonly known as the SAVE Act. The bill places strict requirements to prove American citizenship in order to vote in federal elections.[71]
Congressional Membership
Gluesenkamp Perez holds the belief that there should be cognitive standards for serving in Congress. In her view, this would help combat distrust of elected officials among younger voters, while simultaneously ensuring that all members are fit to carry out their duty of voting on behalf of their constituent. She attempted to introduce a bill that would have the Office of Congressional Conduct develop a standard that the Ethics Committee could use to evaluate complaints lodged against lawmakers accussed of suffering from cognitive impairment. While the bill was unanimously shut down, she has voiced that she is not yet willing to drop the issue.[72]
"Perez, Marie Gluesenkamp". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Archived from the original on July 23, 2025. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
"Perez, Marie Gluesenkamp". history.house.gov - US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives. Archived from the original on April 14, 2023. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
↑ "Issues". Marie Gluesenkamp Perez for Congress. In February of 2020 I miscarried at 16 weeks, and was told my life was at risk without an immediate abortion, or dilation and evacuation.
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