Voting registration status of 3rd Congressional District candidate Marie Gluesenkamp Perez also questioned

Leah Anaya
For Clark County Today

The legal name Marie Gluesenkamp Perez does not appear to exist.

During election season, most politicians magically turn into the exact people that voters want them to be as they charm constituencies into filling in the box next to their name rather than their opponent’s. But where is the line drawn between exaggeration and facts?

One candidate for the Third Congressional District, a Democrat who calls herself Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, appears to have that line blurred – even down to her very name.

Records checks from multiple online sources show that the name under which she is running is not her actual name, but rather, she is legally Kristina Marie Perez. She appears to go by her middle name of Marie, which is not completely abnormal. However, she appears to have tossed in Gluesenkamp as the first part of her last name with no legal reasoning.

While in Washington state, one need not have an official reason for changing their name, it would be assumed that this name change was conducted when she and her partner, Dean Gluesenkamp, married. But, previous loan records bring into question whether or not Perez and Gluesenkamp actually are legally married, despite Perez referring to Gluesenkamp as her husband on her campaign website and in media interviews.

One set of loan application documents, dated April 24, 2017, refer to Perez and Gluesenkamp as “husband and wife.” However, an August 30, 2017 Skamania County Real Estate Excise Tax form refers to “Dean Alan Gluesenkamp, a single man, and Kristina Marie Perez, a single woman.”

The small business that she and Gluesenkamp operate (Dean’s Car Care) as well as the limited liability company under which that falls (Perez Gluesenkamp Enterprises, LLC) are both listed under the names of Kristina M. Perez along with Dean Gluesenkamp.

So, which is it? Are the couple legally married or domestic partners who share a child in common? If they’re married, where is the documentation?

Voters must consider whether she is attempting to cater to the “moderate Republican,” to whom conservative family values remain important, given she’s recently stated during a debate that she is “not your typical Democrat.” It’s no secret that the nuclear family is under attack by the far left, and fabricating a marriage is certainly one way to attempt to sway votes from the right.

A VitalChek records request for a potential marriage license has not been answered at this time. Perez spokesman Sandeep Kaushik responded Thursday to an attempt to seek clarity.

 “Marie and her husband Dean legally married in 2016,’’ Kaushik said. “While she sometimes goes by Marie Perez for convenience sake, her preferred full name is Marie Gluesenkamp Perez.” 

Clark County Today could not find any legal record of marriage, although a wedding registry was discovered.

When asked if her legal name is Kristina Marie Perez, Kaushik said, “The legal name is correct.”

While Perez’ claimed name doesn’t appear to exist, her dual-state voting does: Perez is registered to vote in both Washington state out of Washougal, and Oregon state out of Portland. Both voting records state that they’re in “active” status, and both state that her Nov. 8 general election ballot will be sent to her home address in Washougal.

Kaushik was also asked about Perez’ voting registration status.

“When Marie lived in Oregon, she registered and voted there,’’ Kaushik said. “When she moved to Washington, she registered in Washington and has only voted in Washington.”

Perez recently mocked her opponent, Republican Joe Kent, at a debate for bringing up the importance of election integrity.