U.S. Rep. Marie G-P boosts big fundraising lead

SW Washington congresswoman has four times the cash of nearest challenger

This story was updated on Oct. 24 to include additional monies and debt reported by Kent’s campaign. The additions are in italics.

Southwest Washington Congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp Perez continues to hold a significant fundraising lead over Republican challengers to her re-election campaign next year.

The Skamania County Democrat raised $600,000 in the quarter ending Sept. 30, bringing her total contributions to $2.1 million, according to new quarterly reports filed with the Federal Elections Commission.

That’s far more than the total contributions raised by her main GOP rival,  Joe Kent of Clark County, whose Joe Kent for Congress campaign had raised $630,000 as of Sept. 30. 

Perhaps more importantly — now that the 2024 election is just a year away — Gluesenkamp Perez had $1.6 million in cash on hand — nearly four times the $443,000 Kent’s campaign had in the bank. (Kent’s campaign says his true cash on hand is just short of $666,000, counting monies in joint fundraising committees and other funds that have not yet been transferred to Joe Kent for Congress, his principal campaign organization. These other sources not listed on the FEC’s campaign financial summaries.)

Joe Kent for Congress also listed debts and loans totaling $205,000.

A Republican newcomer to the race, Camas City Councilwoman Leslie Lewallen, had raised $220,000 and had $144,000 in cash at the end of the period.

Joe Kent for Congress took in only $16,000 in contributions during the last quarter, though that was boosted by a $182,000 transfer from another, unspecified, campaign committee.  

Once expenses were deducted, Joe Kent for Congress ended the July-September quarter with only $73,000 more than it had on June 30. By contrast, Gluesenkamp Perez’ increased her reserves by $413,000 in that period.

Kent, a former Green Beret endorsed by former President Donald Trump, lost the 2022 congressional election to Gluesenkamp Perez by less than a half percentage point. He subsequently blamed his defeat partly on his need to spend heavily before the August primary, when he faced GOP opposition from Heidi St. John and the six-term incumbent Jaime Herrera  Beutler.  It left him at a funding disadvantage in the general election.

Kent has tried to rally GOP elements around him this time and received early endorsements from many county GOP central committees, including those in Cowlitz, Lewis, Clark and Wahkiakum counties.

Nevertheless, Kent’s upset loss in 2022 and his hot rhetoric has some prominent Republicans fishing for an alternative in Lewallen. She launched her campaign in September and blamed Kent’s “extreme”  rhetoric for chasing Republican voters to Gluesenkamp Perez or causing them not to vote.

Lewallen has been endorsed by Tiffany Smiley, the Republican who lost a 2022 bid to unseat long-time U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, and John Carlson, a longtime talk radio host and 2000 Republican gubernatorial candidate.

If Lewallen gets traction, she could force Kent to again spend heavily before the primary. That’s one reason his late summer lag in fundraising — even at this early date — is a troubling sign for him.

Holding only a narrow majority in the House, Republicans are anxious to regain the seat, which they’d held since 2010. Outside groups especially are likely to pour money into the race, which is expected to be close again. Typically, independent contribtions appear late in the election cycle. 

Spending  on the campaign will likely easily best the 2022 campaign total, when Gluesenkamp Perez, Kent and Herrera Beutler each reported spending between $3.7 million to $3.8 million.

Expect a lot more dough to flow this way.