Nobody can rightly say that The Chronicle hasn’t given Congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp Perez full or fair news coverage during her years in office. If you believe differently, go back and read the 100 or more news stories the newsroom has produced, including two about her most-recently proposed legislation in the Tuesday edition of the newspaper.
Last week, on this Opinion page, The Chronicle Editorial Board gave our endorsement to John Braun based on his exceptional record as father, husband, business owner, Navy veteran and state senator.
Our endorsement did not criticize the incumbent Democrat congresswoman.
Today, we see it's necessary to set the record straight because of the unrelenting, negative and demonstrably false attacks she is running against Braun.
Shouldn’t an incumbent run for re-election based on their record of accomplishment?
Gluesenkamp Perez sure isn’t.
She finished behind Braun in the primary and has clearly decided she can’t win on her own record, so she is attacking Braun.
But her negative attacks are so brazenly false that we write this editorial.
Her attacks portray John Braun 180 degrees from the truth.
The most brazen example so far is this: In one of her ads, she claims that Braun is responsible for “maiming” a young woman. The facts are that a young lady from Napavine High School participating in an apprenticeship program was working at Braun Northwest and fractured her finger using a press. She didn’t know of the break and worked until the end of the day. That evening, her parents were concerned, so she went to the ER, where they discovered the break and then set the finger.
She was back on the job at Braun Northwest the next morning and worked the whole day. Later, at the high school, she met the congresswoman. There is even a photo of the young lady shaking the congresswoman’s hand — the same hand that had the broken finger.
In this case, Gluesenkamp Perez knows personally the young lady was not “maimed,” yet she runs with the ad making that claim nonetheless.
That is just one striking example of the dishonesty that has come into play.
Gluesenkamp Perez claims Braun is “a career politician.” Does that career include his 31 years of service in the U.S. Navy where Braun rose to the rank of captain? Braun wasn’t a career politician when he volunteered to lead the effort to build the new Lewis County food bank. A “career politician” didn’t build Braun Northwest, which today employs more than 300 local workers with family wage jobs.
Gluesenkamp Perez claims Braun “raked in” federal contracts.
Braun Northwest has grown to be the largest emergency vehicle manufacturer in the Western United States. When they sell an emergency vehicle to Los Angeles or San Antonio, those government agencies are paying because of good quality and good price. And the money they pay comes to Lewis County in the form of wages for our families, then local tax revenue. Over the years, the company has sold very few emergency vehicles to federal agencies, including an ambulance to the Coast Guard, a rescue vehicle to the FBI and an emergency trailer to the Nuclear Security Administration.
Our incumbent congresswoman is no dummy. She knows that these sales of emergency vehicles aren't illegal or in any way unethical. Thank goodness quality emergency vehicles are made, and made here. These sales are not John Braun “raking in” personal money. But, still, Gluesenkamp Perez keeps running her negative campaign, even when she knows her attacks are false.
Gluesenkamp Perez claims that Braun gave himself a property tax break while raising our property taxes. The public record shows that is also false. Braun has been a consistent vote and voice for lower taxes. His bipartisan property tax legislation created a large property tax cut for rural and middle class families.
It's one thing to exaggerate. People running for office do that.
But our incumbent in Congress has crossed the line by a long way from exaggerating into attacks that are straight out-and-out false. The worst part is she knows this, but is still willing to say these things in hopes of keeping her seat in Congress.
Partisans call out the other side when they lie but stay silent when it comes from their own side. Here, Democrats often complain that President Donald Trump plays fast and loose with the truth. Will these same Democrats call out their own when she pushes these obvious false attacks?
John Braun has shown his independence by calling out people when they are wrong whether they are Republicans or Democrats.
He is 180 degrees from the person Gluesenkamp Perez’s ads falsely claim.
Braun in the Navy, the Washington state Senate, his personal life and in his business is ethical and focused on service of others first.
That’s why he’ll be a big change from most in Congress, and that’s why we endorse him to represent the Third Congressional District.
