Navy Veteran and WA State GOP Leader John Braun Eyes U.S. House Seat

Washington State Senate Minority Leader John Braun has officially entered the race for Congress, announcing his bid to unseat Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez in Washington’s 3rd Congressional District. A U.S. Navy veteran with more than three decades of service and president of the family-owned emergency vehicle manufacturer Braun Northwest, Braun says he’ll bring a problem-solving approach to lowering costs, supporting American manufacturing, and creating family-wage jobs. His campaign launch gives Republicans a high-profile contender in one of the nation’s most competitive districts, rated a “toss-up” by the Cook Political Report. Gluesenkamp Perez, who flipped the seat in 2022 and defended it in 2024, remains a formidable opponent in the red-leaning district that has backed Donald Trump in all three of his presidential bids.