Trump-backed Braun advances to challenge vulnerable Democrat Gluesenkamp Perez

In the river valleys of Southwest Washington, a political contest is taking shape that carries weight far beyond its geography. John Braun, a former Navy captain turned state Senate leader, has emerged from a jungle primary as the Republican challenger to incumbent Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez — a race both parties regard as a bellwether for control of Congress. What unfolds here is a familiar American drama: the search for candidates who can speak to the center without abandoning their coalitions, in a district that refuses to be claimed by either extreme.