One of the most surprising (to pundits) outcomes of the 2022 mid-term election was the win in Washington State’s 3rd district by Marie Gluesenkamp Perez. She is a political newcomer that was given little chance to win, so not much national support, etc. The election was between her and an election denying MAGA, and the result was very close (<1%).
We already knew Congresswoman Gluesenkamp Perez runs an independent auto repair shop in Portland with her husband, and a little about her family background, but as she starts doing her job in Congress, more is coming out. One thing I have observed is that she is a very good communicator.
This interview from a couple days ago in Politico demonstrates that she is not terribly concerned by her image.
Natalie Fertig: You’re part of a 200-plus person Democratic caucus. How do you see yourself creating an understanding of the middle class in that caucus and getting middle-class laws passed?
Marie Gluesenkamp Perez: It feels like the Democratic Party, especially wealthy leadership in the Democratic Party, has taken it upon themselves to be champions of the poorest of the poor. And I think that’s great, but I think that it has left a lot of people in the middle class feeling like people don’t understand the issues we’re facing. I think it’s left unaddressed a lot of really critical things that are not glamorous, lionized issues, but that beat the hell out of people’s will to persist. The indignity of supply chain problems. Catalytic converter theft. Bad infrastructure. Shit roads.
She is a self-described moderate who supports the second amendment, and will ruffle some feathers along the way. Another example from Politico:
Fertig: Do you feel like the things that made success in your district are very specific to you and your district, or do you think there’s a model there that Democrats could use in other rural districts?
Gluesenkamp Perez: We need more and more normal people to run for Congress. We need more people that work in the trades.
When I was thinking about running, I interviewed some jackass, fancy consultant. I told him about myself, and he was like, “Well, I’ve worked with worse.” When I said I had a son, he chortled, and was like, “Hope you don’t want to see your kid again.”
He told me to talk to the governor and see if I could get appointed to some committee on aging and disability, or something like that, and build up a resume that would allow me to run successfully later on.
I’m just like, “How many other women has that happened to, you know these jackass men telling them not to run?” And I’m like, “Well, I guess you’re the expert, you’re wearing the suit.”
Personally, I prefer the direct approach when getting a point across, but not everybody agrees. One of Congresswoman Gluesenkamp Perez’s primary objectives is limiting all kinds of manufacturers from restricting who can work on their products (“Right to Repair”). This is a big issue for me as an independent service tech. in the medical equipment industry.
Fertig: Tell me a little bit more about “right to repair” laws and how they affect District 3 specifically.
Gluesenkamp Perez: Auto manufacturers have started installing, almost like governor chips on their tractors. So if you don’t have the digital key to unlock it, and you mess with the engine, they can lock you out. And there was a specific model of tractor that all had this, and it was a relatively new technology at the time, and all these tractors broke down at the same time. And the problem, specifically in agriculture, is that you only have a couple of days to cut hay when it’s maximally nutritive. Then the seed head starts falling off of it and the hay is worthless at that point. So these tractors all break down, there are not enough dealerships to service these tractors, and millions of dollars in hay are lost. And understandably, these farmers come out with pitchforks.
There are other worthwhile nuggets, so the entire interview is worth your time. Being so connected with these realities is really valuable. I hope she finds her voice in a Democratic minority because she embodies what a congressperson should be like. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez’s predecessor held this seat for 12 years without holding a SINGLE in person town hall! It didn’t take her long to change that trend, holding her first in-person town hall this past Wednesday in the liberal hotbed (/s) of Stevenson, Washington. And signs of bipartisanship were evident, even here!
Dennis Michael Collins (chair of the Skamania County Republican Party) didn’t support Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez’s bid for Congress. He voted for her opponent. But as he left her town hall Wednesday night, he said he is keeping an open mind.
...
Collins said he needed time to form his opinion about how the town hall went and plans to discuss more with the local party.
“I’m going to think about what was said before I come up with an opinion. And I’m going to talk with my constituents and find out how we can build bipartisan support on the things we agree upon,” he said.
-emphasis added
I can’t wait for her to have a town hall a little closer to my house so I can have a chance to see this rising star in person!
She will face a tough reelection next year, but her MAGA opponent has sworn to run again (he’s another serial grifter like his orange idol). The dynamic won’t be the same, but one thing is for sure: We have to start working now to make sure Marie Gluesenkamp Perez has every possible chance to win in 2024. Spread the word.
(She can’t be too woke, look at that antique gas stove! /s)