Another candidate is considering a campaign for Washington’s Third Congressional District, possibly adding another level to an already closely watched race.
Former Washington state representative and member of the Longview School District Board of Directors JD Rossetti announced Monday that he was exploring a possible campaign for Washington state's Third Congressional District seat.
In his announcement, Rossetti was clear that he has not yet decided to run for the seat but appears to be announcing his potential candidacy in response to frequent criticisms of the incumbent, Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Skamania.
“This is not a formal declaration,” Rossetti said in the Monday announcement. “This is a listening phase. I want to hear directly from people across the district about what they’re experiencing, what they’re worried about, and what kind of representation they feel is missing.”
If he officially declares for the 2026 race, Rossetti will face off against two party-backed power houses in Gluesenkamp Perez and state Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia.
He will also face a slate of other lesser known newcomers, including a Democrat candidate from Vancouver, Brent Hennrich, and a Republican candidate from the Willapa Bay area, Anthony Barran.
Rossetti also appears to be looking to enter the race as an independent without the backing of one of the major parties in a race that is likely to be one of the most expensive in the country.
Rossetti said he is currently conducting outreach to members of the state's Third Congressional District before making a final decision for his campaign. According to his announcement, he has already honed in on a list of concerns he believes are a high priority for constituents of the district. Those include “abolishing ICE,” rising costs of living, access to health care, housing pressures, rural economic stability, public safety, disaster recovery and, finally, constitutional accountability.
“My work has long centered on constitutional rights, economic dignity and the human impact of political decisions,” Rossetti said. “But this process isn’t about arriving with all the answers. It’s about listening first.”
Rossetti’s announcement also focuses heavily on concerns over Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Border Control and the federal government's recent immigration crackdown.
In the statement, he also alludes to a recent vote by Gluesenkamp Perez in the U.S. House of Representatives to approve funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which operates both ICE and US Border Patrol. It also comes in the immediate wake of the death of a second American citizen who was shot and killed by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis over the weekend.
“Recent reports of deadly encounters involving federal immigration enforcement, along with lesser-known deaths and abuses within detention facilities, have intensified scrutiny of DHS and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement,” reads the announcement. “For Rossetti, these incidents raise serious concerns about oversight, due process, and whether federal enforcement practices are operating within constitutional bounds.”
Gluesenkamp Perez was one of seven Democrats in the House to vote in favor of a bill that approves a continued baseline level of funding for DHS. That vote happened shortly before the shooting on Saturday and since has drawn even more scrutiny than before. Democrats in the Senate have, since the tragedy on Saturday, vowed to oppose any bills that would fund DHS including the one passed last week by the House.
Gluesenkamp Perez issued a statement on Saturday focused on the most recent death at the hands of ICE in Minnesota.
"It’s unacceptable to have another needless death in Minnesota, and it’s unacceptable to have elected officials, candidates and administration officials continue to throw gas on this fire, or tacitly encourage assaults on law enforcement and anyone else,” Gluesenkamp Perez wrote. “The situation is un-American and Secretary Noem needs to step down."
Rossetti asks constituents of the state's Third Congressional District to reach out to him over email at jdrossetti@protonmail.com or on his website at jdrossetti.com.
