It’s that time of year.
With election day just seven weeks out, national political groups have begun blanketing Southwest Washington television screens, phones, computers, tablets and mailboxes with messages aimed at persuading you to vote for their preferred candidate — or, in many cases, against the other party’s candidate.
For the third election cycle in a row, Washington’s Third Congressional District is expected to be one of the most hotly contested races in the country, with two-term incumbent Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Skamania, taking on state Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia.
By the time election day rolls around, well over $10 million will likely have been spent by the candidates’ own campaigns and outside groups on advertising and get-out-the-vote efforts in the district.
As of Friday, Sept. 18, political action committees — or PACs — have spent about $2.03 million either in support of Braun or in opposition to Gluesenkamp Perez following the Aug. 4 primary election, compared to just $246,885 that’s been spent by PACs supporting Gluesenkamp Perez or opposing Braun.
The biggest outside player in the race for Washington’s Third Congressional District thus far has been the Congressional Leadership Fund, the main PAC dedicated to electing Republicans to the U.S. House of Representatives.
The Congressional Leadership Fund, which is aligned with Speaker Mike Johnson and House Republican leadership, has spent $1.19 million on digital and television advertising opposing Gluesenkamp Perez, according to filings with the FEC earlier this month. The super PAC did not get involved in either the 2022 or 2024 contests for the seat, which Gluesenkamp Perez won by 0.8% and 3.8%, respectively, over Republican challenger Joe Kent.
House Majority PAC, the top PAC focused on electing Democrats to the lower chamber of Congress that is associated with House Democratic leaders, is the only group on the Democratic side that has eclipsed six-figure spending
House Majority PAC has spent nearly $227,000 on digital advertising opposing Braun in September. In the 2024 general election, the group ultimately spent just over $5 million on advertising and mailers opposing Kent; the vast majority of those expenditures were made in October.
Both the Congressional Leadership Fund and House Majority PAC are hybrid PACs, which can give limited amounts of money directly to campaigns and committees while spending an unlimited amount on “independent expenditures” — typically television commercials, digital ads and mailers — to support or oppose a candidate. Super PACs can raise and spend unlimited funds, but cannot give money directly to a candidate’s campaigns and instead make independent expenditures to influence races.
Hybrid PACs are essentially the equivalent of traditional PACs and super PACs operating under the same roof, but must maintain two separate bank accounts for the two types of expenditures.
This year’s contest has also grabbed the attention of a pair of PACs with strong ties to the president and the world’s richest person.
No Going Back PAC, a new super PAC formed just this month that is tied to President Donald Trump’s political operation, has begun spending in the race. The group is financially backed by MAGA Inc., Trump’s main super PAC.
According to a Sept. 14 filing with the FEC, the group is spending $551,250 so far on television advertising opposing Gluesenkamp Perez.
Along with the television advertising, the group has also spent $87,557 thus far on mailers and text messages opposing Gluesenkamp Perez and another $84,688 on mailers supporting Braun. In total, No Going Back PAC has spent $723,495 on the race.
Further involvement from Trump-backed groups is expected in the coming weeks, with The New York Times reporting Sept. 16 that a constellation of super PACs are planning to spend $1.8 million in the race for Washington’s Third Congressional District. That amount ranks 12th highest among the 43 House races that the super PACs are currently planning to intervene in.
America PAC, a super PAC established by Elon Musk in 2024 to support Trump’s presidential campaign and other Republican candidates, has spent more than $89,000 in support of Braun in September thus far. The group’s efforts have gone toward sending out text messages and mailers.
Two other groups have made more limited expenditures in the contest.
WelcomePAC, a hybrid PAC launched in 2022 that is affiliated with the centrist Blue Dog Coalition that Gluesenkamp Perez is a member of, spent nearly $15,000 on text messaging and digital advertising in support of the congresswoman in early August and another $5,424 so far this month.
Special Operations for America, a super PAC that was founded by former Republican congressman Ryan Zinke — who also served as U.S. Secretary of the Interior during Trump’s first term — spent $20,000 in late August on digital advertising in support of Braun and another $6,000 so far in September. On its website, the group describes itself as a PAC that is “dedicated to supporting candidates who support an America First Agenda.”
