Washington Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez was chased out of a town hall by constituents angered by her support of a Republican bill targeting voter fraud.
Gluesenkamp Perez was one of only four Democrats who voted for the Safeguard American Voting Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which requires proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections.
The shouting started immediately and did not let up for an hour, leaving Gluesenkamp Perez unable to speak for most of the event.
She defended her vote on the SAVE Act, arguing that she was voting to uphold election integrity, not to disenfranchise anyone.
"Americans believe that only US citizens should be determining the outcome of American elections. And any idea that I am standing to disenfranchise people is patently false,” she told the crowd.
A local reporter from KOIN6 tried to ask Gluesenkamp Perez questions after the event, but she was quickly escorted out for "security reasons."
Gluesenkamp Perez has cultivated a moderate reputation, sometimes breaking with her party on votes. She won another term in her swing district in southern Washington, even as voters chose Donald Trump in presidential election.
The SAVE Act would require proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate or passport, in order to register to vote. Most of Gluesenkamp Perez's fellow Democrats have dismissed concerns about non-citizens voting, however. They argue the bill's requirements will cause Americans to be disenfranchised.
Democrats have turned to familiar rhetoric to attack the bill, comparing it to a Jim Crow poll tax. Some have claimed the SAVE Act will cause married women who changed their names to lose their voting rights due to discrepancies between their IDs and their birth certificates, but Republicans say the bill was written to provide flexibility. Specifically, it instructs states to come up with supplemental forms of proof, which could include marriage certificates.
In addition to facing outrage over the SAVE Act, Gluesenkamp Perez was heckled about DOGE's cuts to the federal workforce and Trump's sweeping deportation agenda. Several constituents expressed disappointment that Gluesenkamp Perez is not being more combative towards the Trump administration.
“There is a really profound demand in our country for an efficient government,” Gluesenkamp Perez said, before being shouted down as a “traitor.”
Even as many Democrats double down on unpopular, "woke" positions, Gluesenkamp Perez is trying to keep the party at arms' length.
“I am committed to being here and present and available and accountable and trying to have as productive of a conversation as we can,” Gluesenkamp- Perez said.
