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Joe Kent

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Joe Kent (born 1980) is an American far-right political candidate[2][3] and former officer of the United States Army Special Forces.[2][3]

Joe Kent
Kent in 2022
Personal details
Born1980 (age 43–44)[1]
Sweet Home, Oregon, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouses
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 2014; died 2019)​
  • Heather Kaiser
    ​
    (m. 2023)​
Children2
ResidenceYacolt, Washington
EducationNorwich University (BS)
WebsiteCampaign website
Military service
Branch/serviceUnited States Army
RankChief warrant officer III

After defeating incumbent Jaime Herrera Beutler in the primary, Kent was the Republican nominee in the 2022 election for Washington's 3rd congressional district, losing in an upset to Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez.[4] During his campaign, Kent promoted conspiracy theories including the claim that the COVID-19 vaccines are "experimental gene therapy".[5]

Kent is the Republican nominee in the 2024 congressional election for the same seat,[6] facing Gluesenkamp Perez in a rematch. He is the widower of Shannon M. Kent, a United States Navy senior chief petty officer and cryptologic technician who was deployed to Syria and killed in the 2019 Manbij bombing.

Early life and military service

 
Shannon Kent was the wife of Joe Kent and was killed in the 2019 Manbij bombing.

Kent was born in Sweet Home, Oregon, and raised in Portland.[7]

Kent enlisted in the US Army at age 18 as an infantryman, having applied shortly before the September 11 attacks, and served 11 combat deployments. He served as an officer of the 75th Ranger Regiment and before serving in the United States Army Special Forces.[8][9][10]

in 2018, Kent left the Army and began working for the CIA.[10] He left that job after his wife, Shannon, was killed in the 2019 Manbij bombing.[11] Kent's first time meeting Donald Trump was at Dover Air Force Base when Shannon's remains were being returned, coming to offer his condolences.[12][2]

Political campaigns

2022 congressional campaign

See also: 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Washington § District 3

Kent announced the launch of his campaign for Washington's 3rd congressional district on February 18, 2021; he cited incumbent Republican Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler's vote in favor of the second impeachment of Donald Trump as a factor in his decision to run.[13] His candidacy was endorsed by Donald Trump and numerous other prominent figures from the Republican Party's pro-Trump wing, including Michael Flynn and Matt Gaetz.[14] During his campaign, he was a frequent guest on Tucker Carlson Tonight, Steve Bannon's show Bannon's War Room, and various programs on One America News Network and InfoWars.[15]

On August 3, 2022, Kent finished second in the nonpartisan primary for the congressional race, advancing to the general election against Democratic candidate Marie Gluesenkamp Perez. Herrera Beutler finished third in the primary; she did not endorse Kent.[16][17]

In what was widely considered a major upset, Kent lost the election to Perez. He subsequently said he would not concede until "every legal vote is counted".[18][19] Following a recount, Kent conceded on December 21.[20]

 
2022 WA-03 Primary results by county
  Gluesenkamp Perez
  •   20–30%
  •   30–40%
  Kent
  •   30–40%
  Herrera Beutler
  •   20–30%
Blanket primary results[16]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Marie Gluesenkamp Perez 68,190 31.0
Republican Joe Kent 50,097 22.8
Republican Jaime Herrera Beutler (incumbent) 49,001 22.3
Republican Heidi St. John 35,219 16.0
Republican Vicki Kraft 7,033 3.2
Democratic Davy Ray 4,870 2.2
Independent Chris Byrd 3,817 1.7
Republican Leslie French 1,100 0.5
American Solidarity Oliver Black 456 0.2
Write-in 142 0.1
Total votes 219,925 100.0
 
Results by county
  Gluesenkamp Perez
  •   50–60%
  Kent
  •   50–60%
  •   60–70%
2022 Washington's 3rd congressional district election[21]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Marie Gluesenkamp Perez 160,314 50.14
Republican Joe Kent 157,685 49.31
Write-in 1,760 0.55
Total votes 319,759 100.0

2024 congressional campaign

See also: 2024 United States House of Representatives elections in Washington § District 3

On January 11, 2023, Kent announced he would be running again for the same House seat in 2024, saying that Perez "votes in lockstep [with] the radical left's agenda that's crushing working families" in his announcement.[6] He is one of three candidates who have announced they will challenge Perez.[22]

On August 16, 2023, The Washington State Republican Party (WSRP) Central Committee announced the early endorsement of Kent in this election, following an endorsement by the Clark County Republican Party.[23] His political action committee raised $821,000 through the third quarter of 2023, drawing donations from more than three dozen states.[24] After winning the top-two primary, Perez and Kent will have a rematch in 2024.

Blanket primary results[25]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (incumbent) 81,311 45.6
Republican Joe Kent 70,551 39.6
Republican Leslie Lewallen 22,116 12.4
Independent John Saulie-Rohman 4,200 2.4
Write-in 159 0.1
Total votes 178,337 100.0

Political views

Kent's political views align with the far-right in the United States.[2][3][26] He has been endorsed by the House Freedom Caucus.[27]

Kent made false claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Donald Trump a focus of his 2022 campaign. He labeled the perpetrators of the January 6 United States Capitol attack as "political prisoners" and spoke at a rally in defense of them organized by his top adviser. He supported impeaching Joe Biden and—in the wake of the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago—Merrick Garland.[4]

In a September 2022 debate against Perez, Kent said that he was unvaccinated and claimed that the COVID-19 vaccines are a form of experimental gene therapy.[28][29]

Kent has said he supports school voucher programs and child tax deductions in addition to prioritizing energy independence.[14][30]

Kent has labeled his political philosophy as "inclusive populism", with a spokesman stating that it "rejects racism and bigotry" while promoting an "America First agenda".[31] "If you’re a white nationalist or white supremacist, I have no time for you whatsoever" he said in an interview.[2]

He considers himself a non-interventionist, citing his military experience and the death of his wife. He said that he lost many friends and his wife due to "our ruling class - Republicans and Democrats - consistently [having] lied to the American people to keep us engaged in wars abroad".[32]

Contact with far-right groups

Kent's 2022 campaign was endorsed early on by prominent white nationalist commentator Nick Fuentes. Fuentes had partaken in a call with Kent discussing social media strategy; Kent later said that he had no further contact with Fuentes after the call and had not sought Fuentes's endorsement.[33] Kent later spoke with a member of American Virtue,[a] a little-known white nationalist group allied with Fuentes, where he expressed support for a moratorium on all immigration and stated that “the [American] culture is anti-white” and “anti-straight-white-male.”[34][35]

Graham Jorgensen, a member of the neo-fascist organization Proud Boys, was employed as a consultant for Kent's 2022 campaign. Joey Gibson, founder of the far-right group Patriot Prayer, has also been linked to Kent; Gibson heavily promoted Kent's campaign on social media and spoke at a fundraiser for Kent, in which Kent praised Gibson for "defend[ing] this community when our community was under assault from antifa".[36]

In June 2022, Kent was interviewed by Greyson Arnold, a neo-Nazi YouTube streamer.[37] Kent also posed for a photograph with Arnold that Arnold then shared on social media.[31] A spokesman for Kent's campaign said that Kent was unaware of who Arnold was and assumed he was a local journalist.[38]

Notes

  1. ^ Then known as American Populist Union.

References

  1. ^ Lee, Lafayette (August 30, 2022). "Joe Kent: Our Generation's War". IM—1776. Archived from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e Grisales, Claudia (November 7, 2022). "A Washington congressional district is weighing the election of a far-right candidate". NPR. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c Watson, Evan (October 6, 2022). "A closer look at the Trump-endorsed Republican candidate for US House seat in southwest Washington". KGW. Archived from the original on November 16, 2022. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  4. ^ a b McCausland, Phil (November 12, 2022). "Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez defeats MAGA Republican Joe Kent, flipping key Washington House seat". NBC News. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  5. ^ Buncombe, Andrew (September 28, 2022). "Trump-backed Joe Kent accused of spreading conspiracy theories by calling Covid vaccine 'experimental gene therapy'". The Independent. Archived from the original on November 13, 2022. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
  6. ^ a b Sumrall, Frank (January 11, 2023). "Joe Kent announces 2024 House campaign against 'woke extremist'". MyNorthwest.com. Archived from the original on February 4, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  7. ^ Boddie, Ken (January 30, 2022). "Trump-backed candidate Joe Kent to challenge Jaime Herrera-Beutler". KOIN.com. Archived from the original on February 23, 2024. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  8. ^ Skovlund, Joshua (February 2, 2024). "What's the difference between Army Rangers and Green Berets?". Task & Purpose. Archived from the original on June 1, 2024. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
  9. ^ "Meet Joe". Joe Kent. Archived from the original on March 19, 2024. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  10. ^ a b Weisman, Jonathan (October 15, 2022). "New Generation of Combat Vets, Eyeing House, Strike From the Right". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on October 17, 2022. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  11. ^ "Federal panel dismisses claims questioning Joe Kent's job". opb. Archived from the original on February 22, 2024. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  12. ^ "Opinion | My wife died fighting ISIS under Trump's orders. How he reacted won my respect". NBC News. September 5, 2020. Archived from the original on May 19, 2024. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
  13. ^ Vance, Ken (February 21, 2021). "US Army veteran Joe Kent throws his hat in ring for Washington's 3rd Congressional District seat". ClarkCountyToday.com. Archived from the original on October 2, 2022. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  14. ^ a b Yaw, Claudia (September 7, 2021). "Joe Kent rides waves of endorsements at rally with Matt Gaetz". The Reflector. Archived from the original on November 16, 2022. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  15. ^ Brunner, Jim (November 4, 2022). "Congressional candidate Joe Kent wants to rewrite history of Jan. 6 attack". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on November 16, 2022. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  16. ^ a b "August 2, 2022 Primary Results – Congressional District". Secretary of State of Washington. August 2, 2022. Archived from the original on November 29, 2022. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  17. ^ Gutman, David (November 15, 2022). "How did Marie Gluesenkamp Perez pull off the upset of the year in Southwest WA?". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on November 15, 2022. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  18. ^ Brynelson, Troy (November 14, 2022). "Facing defeat, Joe Kent campaign looks to 'cure' challenged ballots". opb. Archived from the original on November 16, 2022. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  19. ^ Graham, David A. (November 14, 2022). "The House Race That Shows Why Republicans Collapsed in the Midterms". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on November 16, 2022. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  20. ^ "GOP's Joe Kent concedes Washington state Congressional race". AP News. December 22, 2022. Archived from the original on January 14, 2023. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  21. ^ "November 8, 2022 General Election Results - CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 3". Secretary of State of Washington. November 15, 2022. Archived from the original on June 13, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  22. ^ "Washington's 3rd Congressional District election, 2024". Ballotpedia. Archived from the original on February 25, 2024. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  23. ^ Vance, Ken (August 8, 2023). "Washington State Republican Party Central Committee approves early endorsement for Joe Kent". Archived from the original on February 27, 2024. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
  24. ^ "Political drivel? Three years on, 'J6' remains a force in the WA GOP". The Seattle Times. January 6, 2024. Archived from the original on April 24, 2024. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  25. ^ "August 6, 2024 Primary Results". Office of the Secretary of State of Washington. August 6, 2024. Archived from the original on August 7, 2024. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
  26. ^ John, Arit (October 14, 2024). "Two House incumbents seek to woo the other party's voters in Pacific Northwest swing seats". CNN. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  27. ^ "Priority Candidates". House Freedom Fund. Archived from the original on June 9, 2020. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
  28. ^ Evan Watson (October 6, 2022). "A closer look at the Trump-endorsed Republican candidate for US House seat in southwest Washington". kgw.com. Archived from the original on January 28, 2023. Retrieved March 24, 2023. Kent said the COVID-19 vaccine is "experimental gene therapy," that he opposes any vaccination requirements and wants to defund the FBI.
  29. ^ Lanard, Noah (October 5, 2022). "Joe Kent's forever war". Mother Jones. Archived from the original on October 18, 2022. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  30. ^ Rantz, Jason (October 20, 2022). "Joe Kent advances to November, stresses energy, inflation as biggest immediate problems". mynorthwest.com. Archived from the original on March 19, 2024. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  31. ^ a b Slodysko, Brian (July 27, 2022). "GOP's links to extremism surface in congressional primary". AP News. Archived from the original on September 2, 2022. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  32. ^ La Corte, Rachel (October 12, 2022). "Washington House seat in play amid increased polarization". AP. Archived from the original on October 18, 2022. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  33. ^ Brynelson, Troy (March 7, 2022). "Congressional candidate Joe Kent distances from white nationalist amid social media spat". opb. Archived from the original on October 18, 2022. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  34. ^ Goldberg, Michelle (September 24, 2022). "The Midterm Race That Has It All". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 27, 2023. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
  35. ^ Miller, Tim (March 9, 2022). "MAGA Candidate Begs For Absolution From Dorm-Room David Duke". The Bulwark. Archived from the original on October 8, 2024. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
  36. ^ Slodysko, Brian (July 27, 2022). "GOP's links to extremism surface in congressional primary". AP. Archived from the original on September 2, 2022. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  37. ^ Brunner, Jim (October 12, 2022). "WA Republican Party hired white nationalist podcaster, then fired him". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on March 3, 2024. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
  38. ^ Kaczynski, Andrew; Steck, Em (September 30, 2022). "GOP congressional candidate Joe Kent's ties to white nationalists include interview with Nazi sympathizer". CNN. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
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