Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, Washington

Marie Gluesenkamp Perez is a Democratic U.S. Representative serving Washington’s 3rd Congressional District since 2023. She owns and operates an auto repair shop in rural southwest Washington with her husband and did not attend a four-year college, making her one of the few members of Congress without a bachelor’s degree. She pulled off one of the biggest upsets of 2022 by defeating a Trump-backed opponent in a deeply Republican district, and has built a reputation as one of Congress’s most independent Democrats, focusing on skilled trades, small business support, infrastructure, and representing working-class rural communities.