Trump endorses Braun in 3rd District race

President Donald Trump weighed in on Washington’s 3rd Congressional District race Tuesday with a social media post that endorsed state Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia, and bashed incumbent Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Skamania.

Trump said it was his “great honor” to endorse Braun, a U.S. Navy veteran and the state’s Senate minority leader since 2020.

“John Braun fights tirelessly to Advance Pro Growth Policies, Champion American Energy DOMINANCE, and Prioritize CLEAN AIR, CLEAN WATER, AND CLEAN SOIL FOR ALL WASHINGTONIANS,” Trump said on his Truth Social page. “In Congress, John will work hard to Grow the Economy, Cut Taxes and Regulations, Promote MADE IN THE U.S.A., Keep our Border SECURE, Stop Migrant Crime, Support our Great Military/Veterans, and Defend our always under siege Second Amendment.”

Braun thanked Trump for his endorsement Tuesday afternoon.

“I look forward to working with him and a Republican majority in Congress to keep our border secure and our communities safe, and to make life more affordable for Americans,” Braun said in an emailed statement.

Trump called Perez “a true Radical Left Extremist with a Track Record that REEKS,” even though she is a leader in the moderate Blue Dog Coalition and the second most likely member of Congress to vote against her party in 2025.

Trump accused Perez of wanting “Open Borders, Men playing in Women’s Sports, Transgender for Everyone, Defund the Police, and … to take away your Second Amendment, meaning, your guns.”

‘Full of lies’

Perez said in an emailed statement she believes Braun will now be indebted to Trump.

“John Braun needed this endorsement. And he’ll be beholden to it,” Perez said. “But voters in Southwest Washington deserve a representative who answers to them and won’t just do what they’re told by a national political machine.”

Perez also said Trump’s accusations against her are false.

“Donald Trump’s endorsement post is full of lies about my record,” Perez said. “Anyone who knows this district knows I’ve fought to represent this community’s independent voice in DC. I’m proud of my work, my accomplishments and my dedication to effective honest governance.”

Brent Hennrich, a Vancouver Democrat challenging Perez and Braun in the August top-two primary election, told The Columbian on Tuesday he was not shocked to see Trump’s endorsement.

“It’s no surprise to me that Donald Trump would endorse the most extreme candidate,” Hennrich said. “I’m more shocked that he didn’t notice how often Marie’s on his side with first the SAVE Act, then the bloated military budget and her support for ICE (funding).”

Hennrich launched his congressional campaign April 2 and drew more than 100 supporters to his kickoff event. Many of the people in attendance were longtime Clark County Democrats who said they had voted for Perez in the past but had since been turned off by her tendency to vote with Republicans and support Republican-led legislation.

After reading Trump’s Truth Social post Tuesday, Hennrich said, “It makes me question why she does it.”