Marie Gluesenkamp Perez is a fifth-generation Washingtonian, small-business owner in the trades, and member of Congress representing Southwest Washington.
Marie’s working-class roots run deep in Washington. Her great-great-grandfather helped build the Washington State Capitol, her grandmother was born in a logging camp, and her father immigrated from Mexico before building a life in the Pacific Northwest.
Before running for Congress, Marie and her husband built an independent auto-repair shop from the ground up. They grew the business to six bays, created living-wage jobs in the trades, and experienced firsthand the challenges facing working families and small-business owners—from childcare and healthcare costs to red tape and corporate consolidation.
Those experiences shape Marie’s work in Congress.
She is focused on:
- lowering housing, healthcare, childcare, and everyday costs for working families
- protecting reproductive freedom
- expanding career and technical education, apprenticeships, and good jobs that do not require a four-year degree
- championing right-to-repair protections for farmers, tradespeople, and consumers
- strengthening American manufacturing and small businesses
- protecting Social Security and Medicare
- supporting police, firefighters, and safer communities
- fighting corporate concentration and restoring accountability in government
Marie has developed a reputation for political independence and a willingness to work across party lines when it benefits Southwest Washington. Her approach is rooted less in national political labels than in the practical concerns she heard every day as a small-business owner: whether people can afford to raise a family, repair their equipment, find a good job, access healthcare, and build a stable life.
In a district spanning Vancouver’s growing suburbs, timber and agricultural communities, small towns, and rural Southwest Washington, Marie has built a political identity closely tied to the people and economy she represents.
She is running for re-election to continue giving working people and small businesses a stronger voice in Congress—and to keep delivering practical results for Southwest Washington.
Running an auto repair shop, I’ve seen first hand how politics that prioritize corporate greed can hollow out rural communities like mine. In Congress, I’m working to rebuild American manufacturing and expand trade programs because all work has dignity and it’s time to level the playing field.
- Marie Gluesenkamp Perez