Democrat Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and Republican Joe Kent, candidates in the 3rd Congressional District, each issued statements on President Joe Biden’s decision not to seek reelection

Democrat Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and Republican candidate Joe Kent, in the 3rd Congressional District, each issued statements on President Joe Biden’s decision not to seek reelection.

“My prayers are with the President and his family. I’m sure this was not an easy decision for him to make, and I believe he made it with the national interest in mind,’’ Gluesenkamp Perez stated in a Sunday statement. “My job is to represent everyone in Southwest Washington, and most of them do not have confidence in the President’s fitness to serve. They deserve to have their confidence restored.”

Kent added his thoughts in a statement on Monday.

“There’s the old joke about ‘rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic,’’’ Kent began. “The Democrats can change their nominee, but it doesn’t erase the destruction and chaos their administration has inflicted on our country and our families.

“And while my opponent tries to distance herself from the Biden-Harris Administration, she cannot change her record: she voted with Democrats 100% of the time to give them control of Congress,’’ Kent stated. “She has never once broken ranks with Democrats on the all-important rule votes that decide what is voted on and when.

“She’s the most vulnerable Democrat in Congress, and even progressive polls show I can beat her.

“Make no mistake—Biden’s policies are Harris’s policies are Perez’s policies:

• An open border that allows terrorists, cartels, and fentanyl into our country and our communities.
• Inflation that has left our families worse off than before Biden, Harris, and Perez were elected.
• Crime and homelessness that are out of control, destroying public spaces and putting our children at risk.

“My campaign to defeat Perez isn’t just over a political disagreement. It’s because her actions in Congress constitute a direct threat to the future of our country.’’