Dem Rep who won Trump district shares eye-opening Harris anecdote: ‘I didn’t feel like she understood what I was trying to say’

A Democrat who represents a GOP-leaning House territory successful Washington State has shared a revealing relationship she had pinch Vice President Kamala Harris months earlier her electoral shellacking by Donald Trump.

Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez told nan New York Times successful an interview published Friday that she initially had precocious hopes erstwhile Harris became nan Democratic nominee — but ne'er sewage truthful overmuch arsenic a telephone telephone to statement up her support.

“When Harris first came out, I was unfastened to talking pinch her. I cognize she called a batch of my colleagues; she ne'er called me,” nan freshman Democrat said. “I’ve had 1 relationship pinch Harris, astatine her Naval Observatory Christmas party.”

“I’m not ace comfortable astatine that benignant of thing. I’d had a mates of beers, and I noticed that almost each of nan garlands were plastic. My territory grows a hellhole of a batch of Christmas trees,” she recalled.

“I was strong-armed into taking a picture. I said, ‘Madam Vice President, we turn those wherever I live,'” Gluesenkamp Perez went on.

“She conscionable walked distant from me. There was benignant of an oculus roll, maybe. My reasoning was, it does matter to group wherever I live. It’s nan respect, nan taste respect for farmers. I didn’t consciousness for illustration she understood what I was trying to say.”

The evident disdain by Harris for Gluesenkamp Perez, who besides owns an car assemblage shop, and her working-class constituents was repaid Tuesday night.

Trump, 78, won nan predetermination pinch a mostly of support from Americans without four-year assemblage degrees, according to a Fox News elector analysis.

Gluesenkamp Perez, who described herself arsenic being “at nan platinum level of bipartisanship,” is heading for a 2nd word representing nan agrarian Third Congressional District, which is comprised of counties that Trump handily won successful nan past 3 predetermination cycles.

The Democratic incumbent declared triumph Thursday nighttime aft a section newspaper projected her arsenic nan winner, pinch a lead complete Republican force Joe Kent of astir 11,000 votes pinch 87% of nan ballots counted, per nan Associated Press.

The Times noted that nan preliminary results had Gluesenkamp Perez outrunning Harris by 7 percent points successful 2 of her district’s astir Republican counties — including Wahkiakum County, which exports timber.

Gluesenkamp Perez was 1 of respective swing-state Democrats that came retired aft President Biden’s June 27 statement flop against Trump to telephone connected him to driblet out.

She besides took reliable votes successful nan House against chap Democrats and nan White House’s agenda, urging Biden and Harris to reinstate Trump-era separator fixes for illustration Title 42 and “Remain successful Mexico,” arsenic good arsenic to repeal hundreds of billions of dollars successful student indebtedness cancellations.

Other unpopular votes connected which Gluesenkamp Perez joined pinch Republicans included a measure to require impervious of citizenship to registry to vote and a solution condemning Harris arsenic nan “border czar.”

“I’ve gotten threats of beingness unit from some sides,” nan 36-year-old Texas autochthonal told nan Times.

“I dream that different normal group spot maine and determine they tin run, too,” she added. “There’s not 1 weird instrumentality that’s going to hole nan Democratic Party. It is going to return parents of young kids, group successful agrarian communities, group successful nan trades moving for agency and being taken seriously.

“I was talking to a female who runs 1 of nan largest labour and transportation wards,” she recalled of 1 speech pinch a constituent. “She said 40[%] of nan babies location person astatine slightest 1 genitor addicted to fentanyl. What is empathetic — to show them that’s their problem, aliases to return separator information seriously?

“People are putting their groceries connected their in installments card. No 1 is listening to thing other you opportunity if you effort to talk them retired of their lived experiences pinch information points from immoderate economists.”

Reps for Harris did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.