Braun concedes to Gluesenkamp Perez but leads in Cowlitz County

Republican state Sen. John Braun conceded the 3rd Congressional District race Thursday to U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, though Cowlitz County voters are favoring him in unofficial results.

In the county's latest count, released Wednesday at 5:30 p.m., Braun had 21,910 votes, or 52.65%, to Gluesenkamp Perez's 19,333 votes, or 46.45%. That is a lead of 2,577 votes, about 6 percentage points. Another 374 votes went to write-in candidates.

Across the district, which runs from the Pacific coast through Lewis County to Clark and Skamania counties, Gluesenkamp Perez leads 157,272 to 130,192, or 54.23% to 44.89%, according to Associated Press figures reported by OPB. The AP called the race for her Wednesday morning.

For Longview, Kelso and the rest of Cowlitz County, that means Gluesenkamp Perez, a Democrat, is in line for a third term in the U.S. House. The new term begins Jan. 3, 2027.

A narrower Republican edge in Cowlitz

Cowlitz County backed the Republican candidate in this race for the second election in a row, but by a smaller share so far.

In 2024, Republican Joe Kent carried the county with 31,996 votes, or 54.97%, to Gluesenkamp Perez's 25,982, or 44.63%, according to final results from the Washington Secretary of State. That was a gap of 6,014 votes, or about 10 points.

The 2026 numbers are not final. The county is still counting ballots, so the totals will change.

What the candidates said

Braun, the Republican leader in the state Senate, represents the 20th Legislative District, which includes part of Cowlitz County.

"In a democracy the voters have the last word and I respect their decision," Braun wrote in a social media post Thursday, according to KOIN. He also thanked his volunteers and donors.

In a statement Tuesday, Gluesenkamp Perez said her campaign "overcame the largest spending gap of any House race in the country," KOIN reported. The Civic Circle has not independently checked campaign spending totals.

Ballots left to count

Cowlitz County had counted 42,208 ballots as of Wednesday's report. That is 53.56% of the county's 78,810 registered voters.

The Secretary of State's office estimated about 6,000 Cowlitz County ballots were still waiting to be counted as of Wednesday evening, along with about 49,000 in Clark County.

What happens next

Cowlitz County plans its next results update by 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5. Residents can follow the count on the county's election results page.

Under state law, county canvassing boards certify general election results 21 days after the election. This year that date is Nov. 24. Until then, all results are unofficial.