by Garrett FriskThe primary purpose of Diamond Eye Candidate Report is to bring attention to candidates who haven't otherwise received any news coverage, especially congressional candidates. But ironically, the people whose declarations of candidacy most often go unreported are the incumbent members of Congress themselves. Some incumbents send out a press release confirming their re-election plans, but most quietly file their paperwork without making an announcement; in many cases, nobody knows for sure that a member of Congress is seeking re-election until the final candidate list is released. That's why Diamond Eye Candidate Report emailed the office of every member of Congress who has yet to publicly announce whether they'll seek another term in 2024 to determine who has and hasn't made up their mind. This article will be continuously updated as more offices get back to us. As of now, these are the responses we have gotten: Running for re-election
Still deciding
by Garrett Frisk Image credit: Bob Ferguson Earlier this week, Washington governor Jay Inslee announced he would not seek a historic fourth term in office. On the same day, Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced he would form an exploratory committee to succeed his fellow Democrat as governor. Given how rarely the governor's mansion is open, Ferguson is all but certain to face serious opposition. Two other Democrats, Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz and state senator Mark Mullet, have expressed interest in a campaign; on the Republican side, state representative Jim Walsh says he's considering, while Richland school board member Semi Bird is already in the race. However, even though Ferguson won't be able to clear the field, that hasn't stopped him from trying; he has announced a long list of endorsements, the most notable of which are listed below: Tribes
-Snoqualmie Indian Tribe Unions -UFCW Local 3000 -Teamsters Local 28 -IBEW Local 46 and 77 Members of Congress -Reps. Pramila Jayapal, Adam Smith, Suzan DelBene, Rick Larsen, and Derek Kilmer Statewide elected officials -State Treasurer Mike Pellicciotti -Former Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark -Former Superintendent of Public Instruction Terry Bergeson State legislators -State senators Andy Billig, Bob Hasegawa, Sam Hunt, Karen Keiser, Patty Kuderer, Joe Nguyen, Marko Liias, Jamie Pedersen, Emily Randall, Christine Rolfes, Rebecca Saldaña, Jesse Salomon, Sharon Shewmake, Derek Stanford, Yasmin Trudeau, Javier Valdez, Claire Wilson, and Lisa Wellman, and former state senators David Frockt, Adam Kline, Dwight Pelz, Kevin Ranker, Debbie Regala, Laurie Dolan, and Mona Das -State representatives Jessica Bateman, Lauren Davis, Beth Doglio, Mary Fosse, Roger Goodman, David Hackney, Debra Lekanoff, Nicole Macri, Sharlett Mena, Tina Orwall, Strom Peterson, Gerry Pollet, Marcus Riccelli, Cindy Ryu, Tana Senn, Tarra Simmons, Vandana Slatter, Monica Stonier, Chris Sterans, and My-Linh Thai, and former state representatives Deb Eddy, Jesse Johnson, Phyllis Gutiérrez Kenney, Ruth Kagi, Betty Sue Morris, Busse Nutley, Tim Probst, Sandra Romero, Larry Seaquist, Gael Tarleton, and Deb Wallace Local officials -Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu -King County councilmembers Rod Dembowski, Jeanne Kohl-Welles, Joe McDermott, Sarah Perry, Dave Upthegrove, Girmay Zahilay -All 5 Seattle Port Commissioners -Seattle city councilmembers Teresa Mosqueda and Dan Strauss and former councilmembers Sally Bagshaw and David Della -Former Seattle mayor Greg Nickels -Former Vancouver mayors Royce Pollard and Tim Leavitt -Former Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes Tribal officials -National Congress of American Indians president & Quinault Nation vice chair Fawn Sharp -Samish Indian Nation chair Tom Wooten Individuals -Former Washington Democratic Party chair Paul Berendt -Former Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best by Garrett Frisk Image credit: U.S. House In the 2022 cycle, one of the most hotly contested House seats was Washington's 3rd congressional district. Jaime Herrera Beutler, a moderate Republican who had long been a target for Democrats, shocked the world by voting for Donald Trump's second impeachment in 2021. Multiple MAGA Republicans announced they'd run against her in 2022, with the leading challenger being technology project manager and retired Green Beret Joe Kent, who had Trump's endorsement. In the top-two jungle primary, the top spot went to a Democrat, auto repair shop owner Marie Gluesenkamp Perez; in a photo finish, Kent took the second spot in the general election, narrowly boxing out Herrera Beutler. Many assumed that Kent had the race wrapped up, given that Trump carried the 3rd district by 4.5% in 2020. But after Kent's ties to far-right extremists were uncovered, Gluesenkamp Perez's campaign picked up steam. She ended up beating him by 0.6% in a shocking upset, becoming one of only five House Democrats representing a district that Trump won in 2020.  Image credit: Joe Kent Going into 2024, the 3rd district will once again be a fierce battleground. The only question is: which Republican will be the one to take on Gluesenkamp Perez? There are undoubtedly many Republicans considering a campaign, but Gluesenkamp Perez's opponent may end up being one of three Republicans who unsuccessfully ran for the 3rd district in 2022. Joe Kent has already declared he'll make a second run against Gluesenkamp Perez; his campaign website can be found here. Businessman Leslie French is also in the race; in 2022, he was the lowest-placing Republican in the jungle primary, taking 0.5% of the vote. His website can be found here. Finally, Jaime Herrera Beutler is reportedly considering a bid to retake her seat, though she is also weighing a gubernatorial run. Whichever Republican claims the second spot in the general election, the 3rd district race is sure to be closely watched, and both Republicans and Democrats alike have listed it among their highest-priority districts.
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