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“Southwest Washington families already rejected Joe Kent once – and they’ll do it again this November. An angry, divisive, and dangerous conspiracist, Kent will work to dismantle the freedoms, rights, and services that Southwest Washingtonians rely on most. Voters will instead send fifth-generation Washingtonian, auto repair shop owner, and pro-choice mom Marie Gluesenkamp Perez back to Congress this November to keep fighting on their behalf,” said DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene.
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To: Interested Parties
From: Dan Gottlieb
Date: August 6, 2024
Subject: The Case Against Joe Kent
After being rejected by the voters of Washington’s 3rd Congressional District in 2022, Joe Kent is back again – and he’s still too angry, divisive, and dangerous for Southwest Washington families. Kent will once again struggle to make a compelling case for his toxic and conspiracy-ridden agenda against Congresswoman Marie Gluensenkamp Perez’s bipartisan track record of delivering results for working families across the district – fighting to fix what’s broken in housing, health care, and education by listening to her constituents in Southwest Washington.
Joe Kent is a proud conspiracy theorist with ties to white nationalism and has spent years spreading his dangerous agenda that would threaten the well-being of Southwest Washington. Kent has bragged about how he’d defund the FBI and other crucial law enforcement agencies, pardon the insurrectionists who infiltrated the Capitol on January 6th, stop all legal immigration for the next twenty years, and ban abortion nationwide without exceptions, even in cases of rape, incest, or danger to a woman’s life. With a record like that, it’s no wonder that even members of his own party can’t support him. Joe Kent’s angry rhetoric adds fuel to the fire at a time when we have too much division and instability.
Fortunately, Southwest Washington families already have a better choice in Marie Gluesenkamp Perez – a fifth-generation Washingtonian, auto repair shop owner, and pro-choice mom legislating across party lines to address the region’s biggest challenges and deliver for her district. She’s backed that up in action, ranking as one of the most bipartisan members of Congress and helping secure much-needed funding for Washington’s 3rd.
With so much on the line, Marie is laser-focused on standing for the values and needs of her local community in Southwest Washington. In Congress, she’ll keep fighting to protect reproductive freedom, level the playing field for folks in the working class, deliver quality affordable health care where it matters most, and keep our communities safe.
The residents of Washington’s 3rd rejected Joe Kent and his angry conspiracies the last time he tried to fool them. This November, they’ll once again slam the door shut on his divisive, destructive, and dysfunctional brand of politics.
KENT PUTS CONSPIRACY THEORIES OVER HELPING FAMILIES GET AHEAD
Joe Kent is a dangerous figure who is more concerned with spreading conspiracy theories than actually getting things done for Southwest Washington. He wants to defund the FBI, pardon January 6th defendants who fund his campaign, and elevate dangerous characters like Marjorie Taylor Greene in Congress. That’s why even life-long Republicans are against Joe Kent. He’s out of touch with the needs of this district, opposes bringing back critical funding for roads and bridges, and far too interested in peddling scare tactics to represent their interests.
While Kent fearmongers, Marie gets stuff done. She’s been a champion for Washington’s timber and fishing industries in Congress, advocated for more jobs that don’t require a college degree, helped bring back federal resources to finally fix the I-5 bridge along with critical infrastructure all around the district, and stood up to members of her own party in the name of doing what’s right by her neighbors.
Marie knows Southwest Washington doesn’t have time for tinfoil hat conspiracies and weird, backward policies. Kent, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to have time for anything else.
KENT IS TOO ANTI-CHOICE AND OUT-OF-TOUCH FOR SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON FAMILIES
No matter how much Southwest Washington women have made their opposition clear, Joe Kent has repeatedly and unapologetically called for a national abortion ban with no exceptions for rape, incest, or the life of the woman. Kent even went as far as to compare abortion access to slavery and segregation. A dangerous anti-choice politician like Kent is the last thing Washington women need standing between them and their doctors.
In contrast, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, the mother of a toddler, is fighting to ensure women always have access to reproductive care – because she knows once reproductive freedom is limited, it’s lost. Marie has consistently worked to prevent a national abortion ban that would override the will of people in Washington. And she’ll stand up to bullies like Kent who will stop at nothing to limit the autonomy of Southwest Washington families.
KENT WANTS TO DIVIDE WASHINGTONIANS INSTEAD OF UNITING TO SOLVE THE BORDER CRISIS
Joe Kent has made it clear that his goal is not to fix the border or help keep our communities safe. Instead, Kent promotes white supremacist conspiracies on a near-weekly basis, spouting off rhetoric adjacent to the ‘Great Replacement Theory’ at the expense of our national security. He’s backed calls to shut down the borders for 20 years to protect a white majority – a bullhorn to angry supremacists in Washington and all across the country – all while refusing to support common-sense solutions to keep Southwest Washington safe.
Meanwhile, Marie has been working tirelessly with Republicans, Independents, and Democrats alike to secure the southern border, ensure local law enforcement has all the tools to tackle fentanyl and crime, and protect Southwest Washington. That’s why she’s endorsed by the district’s police and firefighters unions; they know she’ll always do whatever it takes to keep her neighbors safe – even if that means bucking the leaders of her own party and working across the aisle to get it done.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
The Columbian: In Our View: Perez best suited for Congress seat. [The Columbian, 7/13/24]
“She has been an involved and thoughtful representative throughout her initial two-year term, consistently focusing on issues that matter to Southwest Washington rather than engaging in the theatrics that hamper Washington, D.C., politics these days.”
New York Times: Aging Bridge Is a Flashpoint in Competitive Washington State House Race. [New York Times, 3/3/24]
“Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez is running on fixing one of the busiest bridges in the region. Her far-right opponent calls it an ‘Antifa superhighway.’”
The Reflector: MGP, Sens. Murray and Cantwell secure $1.499 billion for I-5 bridge replacement. [The Reflector, 7/15/24]
The Columbian: Rep. Perez lands endorsement from Washington’s largest police union. [The Columbian, 5/31/24]
Daily Beast: GOP Extremist Joe Kent Is Back—and Now He Wants to Defund the FBI. [Daily Beast, 9/24/23]
CNN: GOP congressional candidate Joe Kent’s ties to white nationalists include interview with Nazi sympathizer. [CNN, 9/30/22]
PATH TO VICTORY
In Washington’s 3rd Congressional District, Democrats hold the advantages that matter most: a better candidate, a better campaign, and a better message. Despite the district having leaned toward Republicans at the top of the ticket, Marie Gluensenkamp Perez has proven herself to be the preferred choice for Southwest Washingtonians – even winning over Republicans, swing moderates, and Independents in her first run for Congress. Meanwhile, Republicans are stuck with Joe Kent – one of the most vitriolic and divisive conspiracists on the map who makes Marjorie Taylor Greene seem mainstream.
At the end of the day, Marie has proven that she knows how to appeal to both Democrats and Republican-leaning voters, and Kent has proven he does not. Elected in 2022, she won the district back from Republicans for the first time in well over a decade with a pragmatic know-how and bipartisan approach to solving Southwest Washington’s biggest challenges.
In this toss-up district, Marie maintains an advantage thanks to her tried and true record as an independent problem-solver, her history of electoral success against the same incredibly flawed and divisive opponent, and her ability to connect with voters across the political spectrum. And she’ll have all of the resources she needs – starting with a massive $3.8 million war chest – to communicate that message directly to voters ahead of this November.
With a formidable campaign operation, a broad coalition of electoral support, and a bold record of holding both parties to account, Marie will hold Joe Kent accountable for his deeply dangerous agenda and angry vision for the future.
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