On The Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI, State Senator John Braun officially announced his campaign for Congress, aiming to represent Southwest Washington.
Host Ari Hoffman opened the interview with praise, revealing that a public records request into the University of Washington’s handling of last year’s Gaza encampment protests showed Braun as the lone state legislator repeatedly pressing the school to shut it down.
“We’re spending way more than we’re pulling in, setting up an unsustainable debt for our children and grandchildren. We have to live within our means & we’re not doing that at the federal level.”
State Senator John Braun discusses why he is running for Congress pic.twitter.com/hFLFmhTDph
— Ari Hoffman 🎗 (@thehoffather) August 13, 2025
Braun said the decision to run came after encouragement from constituents, local leaders, and national contacts. “My wife and I have been talking about it for a while… we really came to the conclusion that this is the right thing to do for Southwest Washington and our country,” he said.
Top Issue: Federal Spending
Braun pointed to runaway federal spending as his top concern. “We’ve gotten on a very bad track… spending way more than we’re pulling in… setting up an unsustainable debt for our children and grandchildren.”
The senator also highlighted his background in the U.S. Navy’s submarine force, where he served seven years active duty before retiring from the reserves as a Navy captain.
Taking on Marie Gluesenkamp Perez
Braun criticized incumbent Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez for “pretending to be moderate” with “cost-free” bipartisan votes while avoiding “the big issues” facing the nation.
He dismissed concerns about leaving a vacancy in the state senate, noting his term runs until 2026 and expressing confidence county commissioners would appoint another strong Republican if he wins.
Braun described his record as “conservative, common-sense” and stressed the need for Republican unity: “Politics is about addition… we need to all be on the same team if we’re going to be successful.”
Hoffman’s Warning on GOP Division in Washington State
Following the interview, Ari Hoffman turned his focus to the Washington State Republican Party’s internal fractures — warning that public infighting could hand Democrats another victory in the hotly contested 3rd Congressional District.
“Would you rather have Marie Gluesenkamp Perez in that seat? Are we really going to do this again?” Hoffman asked listeners, pointing to online criticism of Braun from the party’s far-right flank.
Hoffman recalled how division and social media attacks — some amplified by bot accounts — plagued past GOP campaigns, undermining otherwise competitive candidates like Joe Kent. “The purity test nonsense… has it ever worked for us?” he asked.
Call for Unity
He urged Republicans to discuss issues civilly and avoid name-calling during primaries: “If you agree with them 60% of the time, can we at least not bash fellow Republicans? Democrats are a lot better at that [unity] than we are, and they win more races.”
Hoffman stressed Braun’s consistent engagement with communities across his district, citing personal outreach to Jewish leaders after the October 7th Hamas attack as an example of his inclusive approach.
“John Braun is a good guy. He’s a decent man. I know him personally… and he’s going to have my backing because he’s that good of a guy,” Hoffman concluded.
