Trump Endorses John Braun in Washington’s 3rd District Race

Trump backs state Sen. John Braun over Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez ahead of the Aug. 4 primary in Washington's 3rd Congressional District.

First Published: August 3, 2026, 2:39 PM ET

WASHINGTON D.C. — Donald J. Trump endorsed John Braun, a Washington state senator and U.S. Navy veteran, in the race to represent Washington’s 3rd Congressional District.

The endorsement pits Braun against Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, the Democrat who flipped the southwestern Washington seat in 2022. Trump framed the contest as a choice on borders, energy, taxes and gun rights, and urged supporters to turn out before the primary closes.

“John Braun has my Complete and Total Endorsement to be the next Representative from Washington’s 3rd Congressional District,” Trump said in the post.

The backing arrives days before ballots are due, raising the stakes for a district that has swung between the parties in recent cycles.

Here is the full post on truthsocial: “It is my Great Honor to endorse Highly Respected State Senator, and brave U.S. Navy Veteran, John Braun, who is running to represent the amazing people of Washington’s 3rd Congressional District. John is running against Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, a true Radical Left Extremist with a Track Record that REEKS, and who does not represent the Values of Southwestern Washington. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez wants Open Borders, Men playing in Women’s Sports, Transgender for Everyone, Defund the Police, and wants to take away your Second Amendment, meaning, your guns. Sadly, she voted against the Biggest Tax Cut in History, and fought ferociously to knock out Rural Healthcare, a big factor in Washington’s 3rd Congressional District. In contrast, John Braun fights tirelessly to Advance Pro Growth Policies, Unleash American Energy DOMINANCE, and Prioritize CLEAN AIR, CLEAN WATER, AND CLEAN SOIL FOR ALL WASHINGTONIANS. In Congress, John will work hard to Grow the Economy, Cut Taxes and Regulations, Promote MADE IN THE U.S.A., Keep our Border SECURE, Stop Migrant Crime, Support our Great Military/Veterans, and Defend our always under siege Second Amendment. John Braun has my Complete and Total Endorsement to be the next Representative from Washington’s 3rd Congressional District. Election Day is Tuesday, August 4th. GET OUT AND VOTE FOR JOHN – HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN! Find your Voting Location here: https://swampthevoteusa.com/washington/” on August 3, 2026 at 6:26 PM ET.

This is Trump’s 21st message released today, and the last post was 2 minutes ago, and it is not part of a thread. On average, Trump produces 18 posts per day since his inauguration on January 20, 2025. The move fits a broader pattern in Trump’s recent messaging, with 76 of his 454 posts over the last 30 days classified as Elections posts.

Trump directed readers to a voter-turnout portal to locate polling places, by mentioning the source (see swampthevoteusa). The site lists Primary Election Day as August 4, 2026, and marks July 17, 2026, as the start of early voting, according to swampthevoteusa.com.

The stakes fall heaviest on Gluesenkamp Perez, who holds one of the most closely watched swing seats in the country. A Braun win would hand Republicans a district that stretches across rural southwestern Washington. A Perez hold would signal continued Democratic strength in a region Trump carried at the presidential level. Braun serves in the Washington State Senate, where Republicans sit in the minority.

The district has a history of narrow margins. Gluesenkamp Perez won the seat in 2022 by defeating a Republican challenger by roughly one percentage point, one of the tightest House results that year. Contests decided by a single point rank among the closest in the nation, comparable to knife-edge races in New York and California that flipped control of individual seats.

For voters in the district, the outcome shapes representation on taxes, health care access in rural communities, and firearms policy. The result will help determine which party sets the agenda on issues that reach household budgets and local hospitals.

This has happened before. Trump has issued a steady stream of primary endorsements this cycle, injecting his brand into down-ballot races from coast to coast, and southwestern Washington now joins that list.

Washington voters will render the next decision at the primary, with ballots due by August 4, 2026, according to swampthevoteusa.com. The state’s top-two primary advances the two leading candidates to the November general election regardless of party.

Presidential endorsements in local races carry a long record in American politics, as happened before. Franklin D. Roosevelt tried to purge conservative Democrats from Congress in the 1938 primaries, campaigning against several incumbents in a bid to reshape his party. Most of his targets survived, and the effort exposed the limits of presidential reach into local races. The episode taught later presidents that a national endorsement does not guarantee a local outcome.