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 | |
| Born | 1980 (age 43–44)[1] Sweet Home, Oregon, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Heather Kaiser (m. 2023) |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence | Yacolt, Washington |
| Education | Norwich University (BS) |
| Website | Campaign website |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Rank | Chief 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 to Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez in an upset.[4] During his campaign, Kent promoted various conspiracy theories, including the claim that the COVID-19 vaccines are "experimental gene therapy."
Kent is a candidate in the 2024 congressional election for the same seat,[5] receiving an early endorsement by the Washington State Republican Party (WSRP).[6]
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. He considers himself a non-interventionist, citing his military experience and the death of his wife.
Early life and military service
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 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
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]
- 20–30%
- 30–40%
- 30–40%
- 20–30%
| 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 | ||
- 50–60%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
| 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
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.[5] He is one of five candidates who have announced they will challenge Perez.[23]
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.[6] His political action committee raised $821,000 through the third quarter of 2023, drawing donations from more than three dozen states.[24]
Political views
Kent's political views align with the far-right in the United States.[2][3]
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 supports 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.[25][26]
Kent has said he supports school voucher programs and child tax deductions in addition to prioritizing energy independence.[14][27]
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".[28] "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".[29]
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.[30]
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".[31]
In June 2022, Kent was interviewed by Greyson Arnold, a neo-Nazi YouTube streamer.[32] Kent also posed for a photograph with Arnold that Arnold then shared on social media.[28] A spokesman for Kent's campaign said that Kent was unaware of who Arnold was and assumed he was a local journalist.[33]