Speaker of the House rallies with Joe Kent in a southwest Washington parking lot

RIDGEFIELD, Wash. — On Thursday, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson was in Ridgefield, Washington supporting Republican Joe Kent in the race for Washington’s 3rd Congressional District in the final stretch before Election Day.

It’s a tight race that many are calling a toss-up, and it’s drawing national attention with Republicans’ power in the House on the line. The results of this race could increase the power they have in Congress, or contribute to their loss of control over the chamber.

The Ridgefield rally was haphazardly put together in a parking lot along the freeway. A crowd of about 80 people showed up with lawn chairs, and some people got emotional seeing Speaker Johnson in person.

“My presence here shows you how important this district is for all of us in America, everybody’s watching you all,” Johnson said.

He hit all the typical talking Republican talking points in this election, such as securing the border, the economy, and energy policy. But he also maintained a cautionary tone, almost warning the people in attendance about what he believes will happen if people don’t vote Republican — calling this a “dangerous time” for the country.

Johnson turned the speech to focus on former President Donald Trump, even attempting to impersonate him at one point, which drew laughs and cheers from the crowd.

After the rally, KGW’s Blair Best asked Johnson what his strategy was coming to southwest Washington just 12 days before the election.

“Well, it shows you how important this race is to us. This district in Washington is one that everybody around the country is watching because it’s so important. It’s rated as one of the closest toss-up seats and one the Republican Party should win,” Johnson said.

This race is a rematch for the two contenders. Back in 2022, Kent — a special forces Green Beret and Gold Star husband — lost to Democratic now-Congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp Perez by less than 3,000 votes. Recent polling shows the two once again are neck and neck.

“We are right now tied up with Marie Perez,” Kent said.

“Serious times call for serious leaders, and that’s why Joe is the right guy for this moment and time,” added Johnson.

As Republicans rallied in the Ridgefield parking lot, Gluesenkamp Perez toured Pacific County in an RV.

“I think it’s reflective that what interests Joe is power and access to celebrities, and I’m here because I love our community and I value what we have here,” Gluesenkamp Perez told KGW.

KGW’s Blair Best asked Gluesenkamp Perez over a video call Thursday morning if she felt Johnson rallying with Kent would push voters in their favor.

“I don’t know how many people know who Mike Johnson is. I certainly didn’t follow politics before this, and I certainly wouldn’t have seen Mike Johnson as somebody who would influence my vote. I think we are pretty independent here in our community,” Gluesenkamp Perez said.

Speaker Johnson was also in Oregon City on Thursday supporting Congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer in the race for Oregon’s 5th Congressional District. There the race is similarly close, though the circumstances are somewhat flipped — Chavez-DeRemer is the incumbent, facing a challenge from Democratic state lawmaker Janelle Bynum.

The 5th District has more registered Democrats than Republicans, and has historically been favorable to Democrats. But the largest voting bloc in the district is among unaffiliated voters, who could go either way — and they helped Chavez-DeRemer flip the seat in 2022. That was an upset, just as Gluesenkamp Perez’s win in Washington was two years ago.