Thread by @EvanWatsonNews

I'm covering the WA-03 Congressional race, where @MGPforCongress and @joekent16jan19 are competing for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

I'll share updates in this thread - it's a unique race that's earned national attention. #WA03 @KGWNews

About a month ago, we talked with Republican candidate Joe Kent.

Kent is endorsed by former President Trump and aligns with the more far-right ideals of the Republican Party. He explained his "America First" platform and disavowed white nationalist ties.
kgw.com/article/news/p…

We then talked with Democratic candidate Marie Gluesenkamp Perez.

She said she represents the "middle ground" in this race and said she'd be willing to stray from party lines to represent voters' interests.

#WA03 has been a GOP-led district for 12 years
kgw.com/article/news/p…

Kent ousted incumbent GOP Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler in the August primary.

JHB had voted to impeach Trump following the Jan. 6 Capitol riots. Kent said his win sent a "clear message" that #WA03 is "one of the most conservative districts in the country."
kgw.com/article/news/p…

Our team at @KGWNews hosted a debate between Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and Joe Kent about two weeks ago.

They battled over inflation, immigration, crime, abortion, candidate backgrounds, and other topics. Great work here from @LauralPorter #WA03
kgw.com/article/entert…

The race has received national attention mostly due to Kent's beliefs, as he's denied the 2020 election results, called Jan. 6 an "intelligence operation,' said he wants a moratorium on legal immigration, tweeted support for extremists, etc. #WA03
nytimes.com/2022/09/24/opi…

So, that has left more moderate #WA03 voters with a choice.

Vote for a Democrat (MGP) for the first time in more than a decade, or vote for Kent - a candidate that identifies with the far-right, Trump-supported aspects of the Republican Party.
kgw.com/article/news/p…

Alright, now to tonight’s events.

First up, here’s the group gathered for @MGPforCongress at a Vancouver hotel. Some early cheers at election results in the corner.

Gluesenkamp Perez is in another room, but we expect her to come out before #WA03 results roll in. @KGWNews

Just talked with Marie Gluesenkamp Perez before results come in

She said she’s cautiously optimistic/very proud of all the people who have supported her campaign - saying it shows ‘normal people can run for office’ and many #WA03 voters are over divisive partisanship. @KGWNews

First major update in the Kent and MGP race - @MGPforCongress holds an early lead with 191,100 votes in.

For context, 307,226 votes were cast in in the 2018 election for #WA03, so this could be around 60%-ish if the total turnout is similar. @KGWNews

On the other side, the Joe Kent campaign denied access to us and other members of the press tonight at their event.

Kent will not be making any statements tonight. Instead, a campaign manager said they feel good and believe Kent will gain ground in the days to come. @KGWNews

For clarity, press members were denied entry before results were posted

Kent’s campaign said they control which media members are let in & they don’t need to explain their decision

I did ask again, and Kent’s spokesperson said Kent will respect the election results, either way

Here’s @MGPforCongress on her early lead in #WA03 tonight. @KGWNews

https://twitter.com/mgpforcongress/status/1590212930112720896

Here’s Joe Kent on tonight’s early election results.

Both candidates are stressing that there are a *lot* of ballots left to count, which is true. Race far from decided.

Joe Kent is sharing a screenshot of a New York Times projection in his latest message to voters. @KGWNews

https://twitter.com/joekent16jan19/status/1590243313780916224

Catching up this morning? Marie Gluesenkamp Perez is leading Joe Kent by about 11,000 votes - but there are likely 100,000+ votes outstanding.

Lots to be counted still. We'll see. Here's the rundown via @KGWNews:
kgw.com/article/news/p…