Democratic Rep.-elect says rural Democrats are an 'endangered species'
Democratic Rep.-elect Marie Gluesenkamp Perez said Monday on "Morning Joe" that rural Democrats were an "endangered species."
Democratic Rep.-elect Marie Gluesenkamp Perez said Monday that rural Democrats were an "endangered species" during an interview with MSNBC's "Morning Joe."
Sam Stein asked Perez about what lessons Democrats could learn from her politically as someone who flipped a Republican seat in Washington that had been held by the GOP since 2011.
"We need to start running rural candidates and we need to start running candidates who work in the trades if we want to be relevant in those places anymore. I mean, you know, rural Democrats are almost an endangered species now. And I think we need to take a real hard look at why that is and how to right that ship. You know rural voices are critical to an America that’s functioning, delivering the same quality of life and resources to our kids that we had," Gluesenkamp Perez said.
Perez defeated Republican Joe Kent in Washington's 3rd Congressional District.
Rep.-elect Marie Gluesenkamp Perez joins the hosts of MSNBC's "Morning Joe." (Screenshot/MSNBC/MorningJoe)
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Gluesenkamp Perez co-owns an auto shop with her husband across the Columbia River in Portland, Oregon.
Kent was backed by former President Donald Trump and is behind Gluesenkamp Perez by 4,621 votes.
Democrats will maintain control of the Senate after Democrat Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto defeated Republican Adam Laxalt in the Nevada Senate race. Control of the House hangs in the balance.
Gluesenkamp Perez was also asked how much she thinks she will be able to do for her district with Republicans likely to gain control of the House.
Democratic candidate Marie Gluesenkamp Perez has been declared the winner in the House race for Washington's 3rd Congressional District (AP Images)
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"Our priorities are very clear. Support for small businesses. You know, I think that both parties, frankly, have failed to deliver a level playing field that works for everyone. You know, we’ve got to address crime. My auto shop, I’ve had my windows broken four times this year. I happen to really like it when the police come when I call them. You know we’ve got to start addressing these issues that influence people’s quality of life and get things back on track," she said.
Host Joe Scarborough asked the congresswoman-elect to talk about her district and about the people she will be representing.
"Lots of timber, lots of fishing, lots of shellfish," she said. "I’m fifth generation loggers in my family, worked in the woods. A lot of paper products. Would love to see a resurgence and replacement of plastic packaging with cardboard and paper that we make in southwest Washington."
She also added that she was proudest of the endorsements coming from Republicans.
U.S. President Joe Biden reacts as he walks to greet Chinese President Xi Jinping before a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit meeting, Monday, Nov. 14, 2022, in Bali, Indonesia. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) (Associated Press)
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During an interview in December 2020, President Biden said Democrats had forgotten rural America.
He said he planned to win them over by tackling COVID-19.
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