2026 Catholic Voter Guide

Washington

Where the candidates stand on the issues Pope Leo XIV has raised, in their own words and votes. Every position links to its source.

Election Day · Tuesday, Nov. 3
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Every voter is mailed a ballot at least 18 days before the election; drop-box ballots are due by 8 p.m. on Election Day. Online and mail registration closes 8 days before; in-person registration is allowed until 8 p.m. on Election Day. Official source ↗

How to use this guide. For each race, open an issue to see what Pope Leo XIV has taught and what each candidate has said or done, side by side. Where a candidate has served in office, we add their recorded votes on the same key bills for everyone in that chamber, linked to the official roll call. We summarize; we do not score or endorse. Candidates are listed alphabetically. Where we could not find a public position, we say so. Click any bracketed source to read it yourself. New to Catholic voting principles? Start with our national guide to Faithful Citizenship.
Washington · 2026

U.S. House, District 3

Top-two general. 2026).

Download printable PDF ↓
John Braun
Republican · Challenger
Washington State Senate Republican Leader; retired Navy captain and emergency-vehicle manufacturer.
Campaign website ↗
Marie Gluesenkamp Perez
Democrat · Incumbent
U.S. Representative since 2023; co-owner of an auto repair shop.
Campaign website ↗
War & PeaceIran, Gaza, Ukraine, war powers›
Pope Leo XIVLeo invited citizens of every country involved in the war with Iran to contact their leaders and members of Congress “to work for peace and to reject war and violence.”Remarks at Castel Gandolfo, Apr. 7, 2026 (Vatican News via The Good Newsroom)
John Braun
Supports “a lethal, modern force,” rebuilding the Navy and submarine fleet, and maintaining deterrence.
[1] Braun campaign: Issues
Marie Gluesenkamp Perez
Voted for a March 2026 war powers resolution to remove U.S. forces from hostilities with Iran and for the Ukraine Support Act (June 2026).
[1] Roll call 85 (2026): Iran war powers resolution[2] Roll call 207 (2026): Ukraine Support Act
Voting record
AI & the Dignity of WorkAI rules, unions, workers displaced by automation›
Pope Leo XIV“No one can be reduced to productivity, to cognitive performance, or to mere data.”Magnifica Humanitas presentation, May 25, 2026
John Braun
No campaign statement found. See voting record below.
Record in office
Marie Gluesenkamp Perez
Voted for the Faster Labor Contracts Act (2026) and for restoring federal employees’ collective bargaining rights (2025).
[1] Roll call 216 (2026): Faster Labor Contracts Act[2] Roll call 332 (2025): Protect America’s Workforce Act
Voting record
The Poor & the Safety NetMedicaid, SNAP, health care, wages›
Pope Leo XIVThe preferential choice for the poor is “a source of extraordinary renewal both for the Church and for society.”Dilexi Te, Oct. 4, 2025
John Braun
Called the 2025 law’s Medicaid changes “commonsense reforms” to reduce Medicaid growth and said its work requirements have broad support; prioritizes health care competition and price transparency.
[1] The Columbian: health care in WA-3
Record in office
Marie Gluesenkamp Perez
Opposed the 2025 law’s Medicaid changes, saying it “adds more paperwork”; voted against it and for the three-year ACA credit extension (2026). Supports expanding the Child Tax Credit.
[1] The Columbian: health care in WA-3[2] Gluesenkamp Perez campaign: Issues[3] Roll call 190 (2025): H.R. 1 final passage[4] Roll call 11 (2026): H.R. 1834, ACA tax credit extension
Voting record
Life of the UnbornAbortion, IVF, assisted suicide›
Pope Leo XIVAbortion “cuts short a growing life and refuses to welcome the gift of life.”Address to the Diplomatic Corps, Jan. 9, 2026
John Braun
No campaign statement found. See voting record below.
Record in office
Marie Gluesenkamp Perez
Says she “will do whatever it takes to prevent a national abortion ban”; voted against the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act (2025) and the 2026 pregnancy-center funding bill.
[1] Gluesenkamp Perez campaign: Issues[2] Roll call 27 (2025): Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act[3] Roll call 37 (2026): H.R. 6945, pregnancy centers
Voting record
The Death PenaltyCapital punishment›
Pope Leo XIVSomeone who opposes abortion but favors the death penalty “is not really pro-life.”AP via PBS NewsHour, Sept. 30, 2025
John Braun
No campaign statement found. See voting record below.
Record in office
Marie Gluesenkamp Perez
No public position found.
Immigrants & RefugeesDeportations, enforcement, asylum, citizenship›
Pope Leo XIV“Defending human life also includes welcoming, protecting and assisting immigrants.”Letter on the 250th Anniversary of the United States, June 25, 2026
John Braun
Pledges to complete border barriers, hire more agents, “tighten asylum loopholes,” and go after cartel supply chains.
[1] Braun campaign: Issues
Record in office
Marie Gluesenkamp Perez
Voted for the Laken Riley Act requiring detention of migrants charged with theft (2025), for the 2026 DHS funding bill, and for requiring temporary protected status for Haitians (2026).
[1] Roll call 23 (2025): Laken Riley Act[2] Roll call 87 (2026): DHS appropriations[3] Roll call 120 (2026): H.R. 1689, Haiti TPS
Voting record
Religious Liberty & EducationConscience, school choice, Catholic schools and charities›
Pope Leo XIVReligious freedom is “the right of every person to worship according to conscience.”Letter on the 250th Anniversary of the United States, June 25, 2026
John Braun
Supports a federal Parents Bill of Rights, saying parents — “not bureaucrats” — should know what happens in classrooms.
[1] Braun campaign: Issues
Record in office
Marie Gluesenkamp Perez
Voted against the 2025 reconciliation law, which created a federal tax credit for donations to K–12 scholarship-granting organizations.
[1] Roll call 190 (2025): H.R. 1 final passage[2] Public Law 119-21 text (2025 reconciliation law)
Voting record
Care for CreationClimate, energy, environment›
Pope Leo XIV“We cannot love God, whom we cannot see, while despising his creatures.”AP, Oct. 1, 2025
John Braun
Says “Affordable energy = affordable life”; backs market-based hydropower, solar, oil, natural gas and nuclear production, citing AI data-center demand.
[1] Braun campaign: Issues
Record in office
Marie Gluesenkamp Perez
Says climate change “is real and is man-made” and supports cheap energy from traditional and renewable sources; voted against repealing IRA home-electrification rebates (2026) and for overturning California’s clean-car waiver (2025).
[1] Gluesenkamp Perez campaign: Issues[2] Roll call 78 (2026): Homeowner Energy Freedom Act[3] Roll call 114 (2025): disapproval of California clean-car waiver
Voting record
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