[6][7] Gluesenkamp Perez entered politics in 2016 when she ran for Skamania County commissioner but lost,[8] receiving 32.8% of the vote in the primary and 46.3% in the general election.

Before the primary, Brent Hennrich, a Democrat who had led in two early polls, withdrew from the race and endorsed Gluesenkamp Perez.

[14] The general election's rating varied from "Lean R", according to The Cook Political Report, to "Solid R" in FiveThirtyEight's House of Representatives forecast.

[15][16] FiveThirtyEight estimated that Gluesenkamp Perez had a 2% chance of winning the general election over Kent, and was expected to receive 43.6% of the popular vote.

[17] Her subsequent narrow victory received widespread national attention, with The Seattle Times calling it "the most stunning political upset in the country this year",[3] and "a microcosm of the midterms".

She emphasized her focus on small businesses, job training, local issues such as the timber industry, and expressed opposition to political extremism.

[28] Gluesenkamp Perez supports abortion access, citing her personal experience having a dilation and curettage procedure after a miscarriage.

[37] Gluesenkamp Perez supports the reinstatement of Title 42 expulsions and the Remain in Mexico policy to curtail illegal immigration.

[41] Gluesenkamp Perez blames inflation on companies outsourcing jobs, and states that is the top issue affecting voters in her district.

[45] On July 2023, Gluesenkamp Perez voted to pass the annual National Defense Authorization Act that included provisions to bar Pentagon spending for abortion and transgender surgeries.

The prior clinic was closed in 2021 and replaced with a limited mobile care unit, requiring approximately 3,000 veterans in the county to travel out of the area to Olympia, Washington.

"[51][52] Gluesenkamp Perez believes that vote by mail is safe and has refuted unsubstantiated claims of widespread fraud among mail-in ballots.

[53] In 2024, Gluesenkamp Perez, along with Jared Golden, proposed a bipartisan committee to consider electoral reforms, such as multi-member districts with proportional representation, increasing the number of members in the House of Representatives and establishing independent redistricting commissions.