House Republicans are fighting to tie Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA) to the border crisis and rise of fentanyl, the latest sign that the GOP is looking to hit vulnerable Democrats over Vice President Kamala Harris‘s immigration agenda.
In its first television advertisement, released Tuesday, in Washington’s 3rd District, the National Republican Congressional Committee accuses Perez of ignoring the influx of illegal immigrants crossing the southern border, a major policy concern for voters in the 2024 election.
The video features a clip of the congresswoman saying, “Listen, like, nobody stays awake at night worrying about the southern border.”
“Perez isn’t worried? That’s where the flood of fentanyl is coming from, and it’s killing our kids,” the video states. “But Perez sleeps easy in D.C. while overdoses here skyrocket.”
“Marie Gluesenkamp Perez won’t fix this. She’s too busy denying it,” the video continues.
The video comes as Perez has worked to distance herself from the Biden-Harris administration. When Harris emerged as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, House Republicans prepared to hit her and vulnerable Democratic incumbents over the border “weakness.”
Perez is one of a handful of House Democrats whom the GOP is targeting this cycle as it seeks to expand its razor-thin House majority in November. With her seat rated as a “toss-up” by the Cook Political Report, Perez is consistently fighting against Republicans who accuse her of being in lock-step with Harris.
The Washington incumbent has frequently spoken out against her party or voted outside party lines prior to Harris’s placement at the top of the presidential ticket. The congresswoman did not endorse President Joe Biden for reelection and has not endorsed Harris either.
Recently, Perez voted in favor of the GOP’s voter integrity SAVE Act. She also voted for a resolution to condemn Harris as the “border czar” and the Biden-Harris administration’s “failure to secure the southern border.”
The White House has rejected the unofficial moniker for Harris and blamed the border crisis on Republicans for killing a bipartisan Senate border deal last year.
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Perez’s campaign hit back at the ad in a statement to the Washington Examiner, highlighting the congresswoman’s record and endorsements.
“Marie is endorsed by Republican and Independent county sheriffs from her district, as well as WACOPS, the largest police union representing rank-and-file peace officers in Southwest Washington, because she’s worked with Republicans to secure the border, stop the flow of fentanyl, and taken on President Biden over his failures at the Southern border,” the campaign said. “Marie supports empowering the Border Patrol by reimplementing Remain in Mexico and utilizing the authority granted under Title 42.”
This article was originally published at www.washingtonexaminer.com
