Trump says of Kent, ‘His opponents can not compete with Joe in any way, shape or form!’

Ken Vance, editor
Clark County Today

For the second time in two years, former President Donald Trump has endorsed Republican candidate Joe Kent in the race for the 3rd Congressional District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

With Trump’s endorsement in the 2022 race, Kent beat a field of Republicans in the primary election before losing to Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez in the 2022 general election. The margin of victory for Perez was about 2,700 votes, or less than 1 percent.

Trump is currently the Republican candidate for president in the November general election. On Sunday (July 28), Kent announced that he had once again received Trump’s endorsement.

“President Trump endorsed me,’’ Kent said in a statement that included a screenshot of the former president’s social media post.

Read Trump’s message:

I’m grateful to Trump, but I’m not slowing down,’’ Kent stated.

“I can sense the tide in this race is turning,’’ Kent added. “Voters here in the district are rallying to my campaign. At a parade yesterday, we had over fifty people walk with us. My opponent, Marie Perez, a consistent supporter of the Biden-Harris agenda, didn’t even bother to show up.’’

Trump is being opposed in the August primary election by fellow Republican and current Camas City Council Member Leslie Lewallen, who issued a statement Sunday about the Trump endorsement.

“When Joe Kent lost in 2022, he changed his colors quicker than a chameleon and abandoned President Trump,’’ Lewallen’s statement read. “Kent endorsed his former opponent, Jaime Herrera Beutler, who voted to impeach President Trump, and even changed the colors of his campaign signs to further distance himself from President Trump.

“Only approximately 36,000 ballots have been returned and this race is still wide-open,’’ the statement continued. “Leslie Lewallen is still the best candidate to stand with President Trump and is the only candidate in this race who has voted for President Trump each and every time he has been on the ballot.

“I am proud to stand with President Trump and support his campaign to Make America Great Again and save our country from Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ radical agenda,” said Lewallen. “Joe Kent is the wrong candidate for the Third Congressional District and he proved it in 2022 by losing a winnable race in a district that President Trump carried. Washington’s Third Congressional District deserves a strong, conservative candidate who represents their values, beliefs and knows how to win – I am the only option.”