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Washington Republican Joe Kent is running for Congress again, he announced Wednesday, just months after the conservative military veteran lost a GOP-leaning seat to now-Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez.
In a statement, Kent referred to himself as a "fighter for our conservative values" and criticized the new congresswoman as too progressive for the state's 3rd Congressional District.
Kent edged out then-GOP Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler in the state's top-two primary, making her vote to impeach former President Donald Trump after the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol a centerpiece of his pitch to GOP primary voters. A former Green Beret, Kent's wife was killed in Syria while serving there with the Navy.
But Kent, who also had Trump's endorsement in the primary and the general election, was dogged by ties to right-wing groups — the Associated Press reported his campaign employed a man allegedly affiliated with the Proud Boys group and that an ally had organized demonstrations that turned violent.
Even though Republicans had safely held the district for years, and Trump won it by 10 points in 2020 (per Daily Kos Elections), Kent lost to Gluesenkamp Perez by just under 1 percentage point in one of the biggest surprise outcomes in any House race this past cycle.
The Democrat criticized Kent in a statement on his decision to run again, framing him as too far to the right.