WASHINGTON — Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and Republican state Sen. John Braun attempted to sharpen their contrasts in a final debate Tuesday night, each seeking to portray the other as beholden to interests beyond Southwest Washington just weeks before the November midterm election.

The senator has taken the endorsement of President Donald Trump and the millions of dollars that come with it, and he will say yes to whatever this president wants him to do," Gluesenkamp Perez, the two-term incumbent, said of Braun.

"She has become the D.C. politician she claims to abhor," Braun said of the incumbent, "where she attacks viciously and ruthlessly, without understanding."

The candidates clashed on several issues, though their positions sometimes overlapped. Both criticized the administration's use of tariffs. The incumbent said the Trump administration has not executed "a strategic, thoughtful" tariff policy that supports domestic manufacturing. Braun said that tariffs will not bring manufacturing back to the U.S.

Both also said they believe it is not fair to allow trans girls to play in girls' sports, though Braun took a more forceful position, stating that he supports a ban on their participation. Gluesenkamp Perez said "these decisions are best made by local stakeholders."

Regarding the Iran war, Gluesenkamp Perez reiterated that she believes the Trump administration's decision has "been a disaster." Braun sidestepped direct criticism of the administration, instead emphasizing that Iran should not obtain nuclear weapons and that he also does "not support a war without clear objectives and without a clear ending."

Neither articulated whether federal workplace safety rules or enforcement should change following the disaster at Nippon Dynawave in Longview.

The contest is playing out in Washington's 3rd Congressional District, which stretches from the Pacific Ocean to the Cascade Mountain and borders Oregon, one of the state's most competitive House races that may help determine how much ground Democrats claim in the U.S. House in November.

Gluesenkamp Perez rose from relative obscurity as an unknown auto shop owner, building a political identity as an independent-minded Democrat willing to break with her party. Her campaign has centered on regional issues, including proliferating sea lions on the Columbia River and right-to-repair legislation.

Braun, a Navy veteran, has spent more than a decade in the Washington Legislature, where he has focused on the state budget, taxes and fiscal conservatism. On the campaign trail, Braun also emphasizes regional issues, like the sea lions. He also underscores his experience as president of his family’s emergency-vehicle manufacturing company.

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report last week shifted its rating of the House race from a toss up to leaning in Democrats’ favor, following signs nationwide that the party is gaining ground in its bid to take control of the Republican-held chamber. Republican candidates, including Braun, have faced strong headwinds this election cycle, compelling them to distance themselves from the president and national party, as voters nationwide have expressed dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump, the ongoing war with Iran and higher prices.

Still, Southwest Washington has a history of producing close congressional races and of swinging between parties. Republican Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler represented the district for six terms. She lost the 2022 primary to far-right challenger Joe Kent. Gluesenkamp Perez then defeated Kent in a stunning upset that November.

Gluesenkamp Perez now faces a more middle-of-the-road opponent in Braun. Both must balance energizing their respective bases with appealing to independents and those willing to cross party lines in the swing district.

In a signal of a fiery few weeks before the election, Gluesenkamp Perez's campaign aired a commercial Tuesday that accused Braun of neglecting to call the son of a man who was killed in a workplace incident at Braun Northwest in 2024; during the debate, she told Braun that he owes that family an apology.

Braun rejected the accusation, in a campaign statement and on the debate stage, saying he had spoken to the son multiple times. His campaign statement said that "Braun also personally delivered a meal prepared by his wife" for the family of the man who died, and that Braun was unsure why the son made this claim on his opponent's campaign commercial.

They diverged on abortion.

Gluesenkamp Perez, who is against federal curbs to abortion access, on Tuesday criticized Braun for comments he made to Republicans in Pacific County in March, when he expressed support for rolling back a longtime Washington state law that legalizes abortion.

"I expressed my personal views and that I hope we can convince people over time. I think that's my right as a citizen," Braun said on Tuesday. "But I have been very clear the whole time that I respect the law of Washington State, and I respect the initiative passed by the voters, referring to a decades-old initiative that codified abortion rights in the state.

Gluesenkamp Perez sought to widen the divide between her and Braun on reproductive rights, saying that “Braun voted against requiring insurance companies to cover contraception.” She appears to be referring to SB 6219, which required health plans to provide coverage for all contraceptive drugs and devices approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration. Braun voted against the bill alongside most Republicans in 2018; on Tuesday, he argued that the incumbent is taking out of context “little bits of bills that had enormous potential harm to women.”

Ballots will be mailed to Washington voters beginning Oct. 16, and Election Day is Nov. 3.

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