House speaker says ‘Kent will bring acumen and seriousness to Congress at a time when we need it’

John Ley 
for Clark County Today

The Joe Kent for Congress campaign held a fundraiser at El Gaucho on Vancouver’s Waterfront Saturday. House Speaker Mike Johnson was the keynote attraction for the $1,000 per plate event. There were about 50 seats around the tables, as area Republicans filled the room in support of the 3rd Congressional District candidate..

In a brief meeting with the press prior to the event, Johnson said the 3rd Congressional District race is one of a handful of key races for the Republican party this fall. “We’re very bullish about November,” he said. “We have extraordinary candidates like Joe Kent. This guy is made for the job. He is a serious person for serious times.”

Johnson spoke highly about Kent’s 11 deployments serving the United States as a Green Beret. “He’ll bring that acumen and seriousness to Congress at a time when we need it,” he said. “I don’t know anybody in Congress, serving now or in recent memory, who’s had 11 deployments.”

Kent spoke about why Johnson came to Vancouver in support of his campaign for Congress. “This just shows how united the republican party is today.” 

He spoke about inflation hurting families, due to the out of control spending in Washington, D.C. driven by Kamala Harris and Joe Biden. The flow of fentanyl coming across our southern border and crime are hurting far too many Americans. “We’re in a bad spot in the district,” he said, referring to incumbent Marie Glusencamp Perez votes in Congress that have left the nation’s border unprotected.

“We have to live within our means, become energy independent and a net exporter of energy,” Kent said to improve our economy. 

“He almost won this race last time,” Johnson told reporters. “The road to the majority in the House runs through this state.” He mentioned that former President Donald Trump won the district last time as an indication of the conservative nature of the 3rd District.  

“The reason he’s in such a big position is not just because he’s such an extraordinary candidate, but because the incumbent now has a horrific voting record,” Johnson said. “She’s against the values of this district and the American people.”

“We’re about solutions,” Johnson said. “We want to fix this problem. No matter where I am around the country, people are fed up about the high cost of living, the high crime rates, the instability on the world stage.”

Johnson has held events like this in about 168 cities and 37 states. “The pain that people are feeling is almost universal across the country,” he said. “It doesn’t really matter that much what district you’re in, whether you’re in a red state or blue state or a swing district like this one. It’s felt by everyone and they really are desperate for solutions.”

The House went through the process of regular order of doing 12 separate appropriations bills. “We got seven of them done; about 72 percent of federal funding has been approved by the House,” he said. “The sad thing is the Senate approved exactly zero appropriations bills.”

Clark County Today asked the speaker: “ In 2018, outside Republican groups spent heavily to help keep the seat in Republican hands. Are DC Republicans equally committed to helping flip the seat back for Joe Kent?”

“I can tell you, I’ve been on the hill and I’ve been around the country, and Joe is one of the candidates that we talk about, no matter where I am,” Johnson responded. “Because this is one of the top five races in the country, everybody’s attention is on it.”

Johnson expects Kent will get a great deal of support from people around the country. “I think he’ll have all the reinforcements he needs.”

He also emphasized that Kent’s opponent now has a voting record. “It is one of the worst in the country”.

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