Vulnerable House Dem’s campaign makes stunning admission on potential Harris endorsement: ‘Clear statement’
FIRST ON FOX: Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash., considered one of the most vulnerable Democrats facing re-election in November, ignored questions on Wednesday on whether she supports Vice President Kamala Harris for president and her campaign told Fox News Digital she has “no plans” to endorse the vice president.
“Do you endorse Kamala Harris for president?,” Gluesenkamp Perez was asked as she walked down the street in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington, D.C., on Wednesday.
Gluesenkamp Perez, who has not publicly endorsed Harris, continued walking without responding.
The congresswoman was asked several more times whether she endorses Harris, particularly since Gluesenkamp Perez is a Democratic National Convention delegate, but a response was not provided, and she continued on her way.
A spokesperson for the Gluesenkamp Perez campaign told Fox News Digital on Thursday that she has “no plans” to endorse Harris.
Gluesenkamp Perez was also asked on the street whether Harris has done a “good job” on illegal immigration as President Biden’s “border czar.” The congresswoman did not respond.
SIX HOUSE DEMS VOTE WITH GOP TO CONDEMN KAMALA HARRIS FOR ‘BORDER CZAR’ ROLE
On Thursday, Gluesenkamp Perez did seem to answer the question about Harris’ role at the border by becoming one of only six Democrats to vote in the House to condemn handling of the U.S.’ southern border, the first piece of legislation targeting Harris since she became the Democrats’ presumptive 2024 nominee.
A spokesperson for Gluesenkamp Perez’s campaign told Fox News Digital that her vote was “a clear statement of her opinion on that matter.”
Gluesenkamp Perez’s decision to not respond to questions about Harris’ record on the border makes her at least the third member of the House to ignore that question this week. Reps. Emilia Sykes, D-Ohio, and Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, have both ignored questions on the subject.
“Extreme Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez’s silence speaks volumes,” National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Ben Petersen told Fox News Digital.
“Perez’s callous dismissal of the border crisis and dodging on Kamala Harris’ performance as border czar prove she’s more interested in bending the knee to her Democrat Party bosses than protecting her district from the fentanyl epidemic ravaging southwest Washington.”
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Gluesenkamp Perez is one of only a few Washington Democrats yet to endorse Harris, The Daily Chronicle reported, although she has weighed in on the vice presidential race, telling Politico that Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg would be her choice.
Gluesenkamp Perez, who represents Washington’s 3rd Congressional District in the southwest part of the state bordering Portland, Oregon, is widely viewed as one of the most vulnerable Democrats in the House after winning her 2022 race by less than 2 points.
The Cook Political Report ranks her race a “Democrat toss up.”
Fox News Digital’s Liz Elkind contributed to this report.
