Dick Rylander shares what he learned from seeking information about the validity of the congresswoman’s claims

Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are those of the author alone and may not reflect the editorial position of ClarkCountyToday.com

The local TV airwaves are awash with political commercials from Marie Glusenkamp Perez claiming that she doesn’t take corporate PAC money and how she can’t be bought by corporate interests.

Dick Rylander

I took a few minutes to look for information that would either support or refute her claims. Here’s what I learned.

Marie Gluesenkamp Perez’s campaign finance is characterized by a significant reliance on out-of-state donors and party transfers, with recent filings indicating that approximately 56% of her fundraising comes from Democratic National Committee or party committee transfers rather than direct individual checks. Furthermore, about 81% of the individual contributions she receives originate from outside Washington state, with major funding sources including cities like New York, Chicago, and California.

While Perez has publicly pledged to reject corporate PAC money, investigations and reports note that her main campaign committee, Marie for Congress, has accepted contributions from several corporate-affiliated Political Action Committees. These include the American Petroleum Institute PAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the American Forest and Paper Association PAC, and the Chamber of Commerce PAC.

Her affiliated PAC, the Marie Gluesenkamp Perez Victory Fund, raised $998,357 in the 2023-2024 election cycle and spent the majority of its funds on transfers to the Democratic Party of Washington ($658,314) and her own congressional campaign ($249,000). Despite these corporate contributions, organizations like End Citizens United have stated that she continues to abide by her pledge to reject direct corporate PAC money, a claim disputed by critics who point to the aforementioned contributions and her voting record aligning with corporate interests.

Do your homework. Investigate and verify before judging.

Dick Rylander
Battle Ground

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