Author: Erin Van Natta

In response to Marie Perez using taxpayer funds to run campaign ads boasting of her alleged support of our veterans, Joe Kent’s campaign released its own radio ad setting the record straight on Perez’s betrayal of our servicemen and women.

Joe Kent made the following statement:

It’s bad enough that Marie Perez is paying for what are obvious campaign ads using her government-funded office budget, but even worse is that she is misleading voters about her record on veterans.

Perez voted to defund the Veterans Administration, the agency that is responsible for veterans’ healthcare – and yet she also voted to keep our troops as sitting ducks in Middle Eastern warzones like Syria where we have no national interest to justify the deployment.

Marie Perez is on the record sending our sons and daughters into needless conflicts while cutting them off from the healthcare they were promised when they come back injured.

The good news is help is on the way. Republicans, independents, and fair-minded Democrats are rallying to my campaign to defeat Marie Perez and elect a congressman who has a real plan to improve veterans healthcare — not defund it.

Joe Kent is the Washington State Republican Party-endorsed candidate for Washington’s 3rd Congressional District, a 20-year special forces veteran, and a Gold Star husband. The radio spot and Joe Kent’s plan to help our veterans can be found at JoeKentforCongress.com/veterans.

In the latest episode of “Get Local with Joe,” sheriffs Rob Snaza and Summer Scheyer met with Joe Kent to discuss crime, opioids, and the closure of the Larch Correctional Facility.

Lewis County Sheriff Rob Snaza said, “Fentanyl is coming directly from our southern border into our own communities. Time and time again, we see people losing their lives needlessly because of fentanyl overdoses. It’s frustrating to know that Democrats, including Marie Perez, have voted against securing our borders.”

Marie Perez voted against H.R. 2 the Secure the Border Act, legislation that would have provided funding for Border Patrol agents to stop the flow of fentanyl.

“It’s frustrating to know that Democrats, including Marie Perez, have voted against securing our borders,” the Sheriff added.

Washinton State plans to close Yacolt’s Larch Correction facility. Joe Kent asked Sheriff Scheyer how this would impact the community.

“The firefighters that Larch provides my community are so important,” Summer said. “I watched them work this summer. We had the Tunnel Five fire, it was devastating. Without those firefighters, we are going to be devastated.”

“Crime and the opioid epidemic are plaguing American communities, including right here in Washington’s Third District,” said Joe Kent. “Lethal drugs like fentanyl are being imported into the U.S. interior because of our porous southern border.”

Thank you to the Sheriffs for talking to Joe about the issues that matter in Washington’s Third District.  To learn more about how crime and drugs are impacting the community and what solutions law enforcement is implementing, watch the video below:

In the 2020 General Election, three Republicans – Young Kim, Claudia Tenney, and Maria Salazar – won rematches against the Democrats they had lost to in 2018 in the exact same districts. Joe Kent is already outpacing these other candidates in important metrics and is well on his way to defeating Marie Perez.

We are comparing the 2018/2020 cycles to the 2022/2024 cycles because they mirror the pattern of midterm/presidential elections. While Republicans also won rematches in 2022 after losing in 2020 (e.g. Derrick Van Orden), they were not exactly comparable because district lines were redrawn after the 2020 Census.

Joe Kent Lost by Less than All Republican Rematch Winners in their First Election.

While all of these Republicans lost by between 6.0% and 1.8% in 2018, they all went on to win in 2020. In 2022, Joe Kent lost by just 0.8%.

*2022 Result.

Joe Kent Outraised All Republican Rematch Winners at this point of their Winning Cycle.

*Funds raised into Joe Kent Victory Fund and Joe Kent for Congress accounts through Q3 2023.

Battle Ground, WA – Marie Perez defended the Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah. Townhall revealed that her blog stated it is “unfair to say Hezbollah is an entirely terrorist group.”

Joe Kent made the following statement:

It is appalling that Marie Perez would argue Hezbollah is not a terrorist organization. Hezbollah has been at war with the US since they bombed the USMC barracks in Lebanon and then kidnapped, tortured, and killed the CIA station chief William F. Buckley. They went on to become the cadre of expeditionary terror throughout the Middle East, enabling their partners to bomb the US embassy in Kuwait and the US base at the Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia. During the Iraq war, Hezbollah and Iran’s Quds force trained and led Iraqi Shia insurgents in brutal attacks against US forces. I fought against these Hezbollah-aligned terrorists in the battle of Najaf and numerous operations in Sadr City. Hezbollah deployed operatives like Ali Mussa Daqduq who helped kidnap and brutally murder five American soldiers in Karbala in 2007.

I know exactly what Hezbollah is: they are nothing more than ruthless terrorists that must be ferociously fought. Hezbollah is cunning, and they will exploit ignorant, sheltered people like Perez to gain political traction to further their brutal ambitions. Perez is dangerous because she is siding with the very same Hezbollah terrorists who are attacking our troops in Iraq and Syria – the same troops she voted to leave in the crosshairs of Hezbollah.

We need serious leadership that understands war and how to combat terrorism without dragging America into another bloody twenty years of war in the Middle East.

Federal Election Commission reports released this weekend detailing fundraising for the third quarter of 2023 revealed:

• • Joe Kent raised a total of $468,485.89 from July through September. This includes $459,189.44 raised by the Joe Kent Victory Fund and $9296.45 raised directly into Joe Kent for Congress.
  • Since launching his campaign in January to defeat Marie Perez, Joe has raised a total of $1,075,527.03 into his Victory Fund and his Campaign Committee.
  • The Joe Kent Victory Fund is a joint fundraising committee that includes Joe Kent for Congress. KENT PAC, and the Washington State Republican Party, all dedicated to helping Joe Kent win.
  • Joe Kent has been endorsed by the Washington State Republican Party and the county parties in Clark, Cowlitz, Lewis, Skamania, Thurston, and Wahkiakum Counties.

Joe made the following statement:

I’m grateful to our thousands of donors in the district and beyond who believe in this campaign to defeat the most vulnerable Democrat in Congress. We lost this seat last time due to infighting among Republicans, so it’s encouraging to see donors, volunteers, and voters rally to our cause. 

Support the campaign and sign up to learn more at https://JoeKentforCongress.com.

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Joe Kent sat down with Michelle Skundrick of Classical Conversations to discuss parents’ rights and education. Click the link below to see more: