VANCOUVER, Wash. — U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez’s independent streak is central to her pitch for a third term in Washington’s 3rd Congressional District. But some Democrats who helped send her to Congress say her votes with Republicans have left them unwilling to support her in November. The choice carries weight in a district where Gluesenkamp Perez won by about 1 percentage point in 2022 and 4 points in 2024. She faces Republican state Sen. John Braun in a closely watched race that could help determine control of the U.S. House. In the August primary, 17% of Democratic voters chose progressive challenger Brent Hennrich over the incumbent, with his support stronger in Clark County. An OPB/DHM Research poll released in October put Braun at 48% and Gluesenkamp Perez at 47% among likely and undecided voters, a result within the poll’s 4.2-point margin of error. The Cook Political Report subsequently shifted its rating of the race from toss-up to leaning Democratic. Gluesenkamp Perez has defended her breaks with her party as a practical approach focused on Southwest Washington. She has said her vote for the SAVE Act, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote, was intended to affirm existing law barring noncitizens from voting. She also supported a bill requiring parental consent for changes to students’ pronouns at school and backed a major defense bill, citing provisions she said would benefit service members and domestic manufacturing. Her critics say those decisions, along with her support for repealing President Joe Biden’s student-loan relief, have made it hard to distinguish her from a Republican on issues they consider important. The congresswoman has described the disagreement as a difference in strategy, not values, and says she and dissatisfied Democrats share goals even when they disagree over how to achieve them. Some voters are not persuaded. Kai Richelieu and Thea Zahn, both Vancouver-area progressives who backed Hennrich in the primary, say they will not vote for Gluesenkamp Perez in the general election. Richelieu said he has repeatedly warned the incumbent that he would stop supporting her if she continued to break with Democrats on key votes. Hennrich has also said he will not vote for her, planning instead to use the write-in option. Other voters who backed Hennrich are reluctant to risk the seat. Anastasia Schaadhardt, a Clark County resident, plans to vote for Gluesenkamp Perez despite disappointment over her positions on transgender rights. Schaadhardt said she believes the incumbent votes with Democrats most of the time and that losing the seat to a Republican would be worse. Ruby Mushkin, who voted for Gluesenkamp Perez in both previous elections, also plans to support her, though she is unhappy with the congresswoman’s record. “I don’t want Braun to win,” Mushkin said, describing the district’s recent shift from Republican representation as part of what is at stake. The disagreement reflects a broader challenge for incumbents in competitive districts: appealing to voters across party lines can come at the cost of support from the party’s base. In Southwest Washington, progressives are weighing whether to vote for a Democrat they say has disappointed them or to withhold support in hopes of pushing the party left — even as the district’s close recent contests raise the possibility that a divided Democratic vote could help Braun.