Tourist dollars are drying up in this small town at the edge of the Pacific Ocean. Foot traffic is down. Visitors have less to spend on souvenirs. And beachgoers now bring packed lunches instead of stopping at Captain Bob’s Chowder Sisters, said Melissa Huddleston, waiting for customers at her sister-in-law's shop on Sunday. Huddleston, 60, is depressed about the state of the country, and while she’s planning to vote in the Nov. 3 midterms, she hasn’t decided who she’ll vote for.

This swing district, Washington’s 3rd, is home to a tight congressional race that will help determine the balance of power in the U.S. House. Huddleston doesn’t think anyone in Congress can really do what she wants: Bring decorum back to the national discourse and bring the economy back to life. She isn't a particular fan of Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, the independent-leaning Democratic incumbent, nor is she persuaded by state Sen. John Braun, the Trump-endorsed Republican challenger. "I don't know which one is better," Huddleston said, shaking her head. "I really don't."

As the battle to persuade midterm voters intensifies in the election’s final stretch, its fever pitch is evident in places like this largely rural stretch of southwest Washington — a rare three-time Trump-voting district with a Democratic incumbent. Republican-aligned groups are pouring money into flipping the district red, considering it one of the GOP’s best chances to gain a House seat in an increasingly unfavorable environment, while Democrats see retaining the district as urgent to their effort to secure control of the chamber.

The contest offers a glimpse into a purple region a time when both parties are testing strategies for winning voter loyalty — not just in the midterms but looking ahead to 2028. And the dynamic in the candidates' race to capture swing voters reflects the national debate gripping both parties about how moderate to be.

As Democrats debate whether progressives or centrists should chart the party's path, Gluesenkamp Perez has modeled an independent streak that has helped her win two elections but disappointed some in her own party. And as Republicans grapple with low public support for Trump, Braun has packaged his conservatism as balanced while assuring supporters that he's rowing in the same direction as the president and party leaders. Interviews with more than 30 voters across the district revealed a mix of support for the two candidates, largely based on partisan politics, views about Trump and concern with which party controls the House.

"This is a very pivotal time, and this area has a history of being more of a swing [district]," said Mark Maxwell, 46, of Vancouver, Washington, who planned to vote blue. "It's a chance for our voice to be heard." The number of congressional battlegrounds nationwide has shrunk with gerrymandering and political polarization, making the district one of about two dozen races that will decide the House majority.

The West's other highly competitive contests include three in California — those of Republican Rep. David Valadao and Democratic Rep. Adam Gray in the Central Valley and the open seat of retiring Republican Rep. Darrell Issa in the San Diego area. In southwest Washington, polling has indicated the congressional race may be essentially tied. A late September poll commissioned by Oregon Public Broadcasting had Braun up by one point.

A July Emerson College poll showed the same. Earlier this month, election forecaster Cook Political Report moved the race from a toss-up rating to lean-Democrat. Across the district last week, left-leaning voters said they were backing Gluesenkamp Perez — some precisely because of her maverick streak.

"She's voted against the Democrats and I know she's voted against the Republicans, which is what one would hope," said Helios Ovando, 69, of Battle Ground, Wash., who decided this year to volunteer for Gluesenkamp Perez's campaign for the first time. "She's more about the local scene." Ovando has been turned off by what he sees as Republicans' adherence to the party line; Gluesenkamp Perez's willingness to "buck the system" gives him more confidence in her integrity, he said.

Gluesenkamp Perez, 38, who ran an auto shop with her husband before being elected to Congress, frames her mission as one built around the practical needs of her district. She argues that Democrats should break the Republican hold on rural districts and talks about reestablishing voters' confidence that the Democratic Party is "listening to and reflective of working people." "When you have people come to Congress with a very stubborn loyalty to their communities, you get better federal policy," Gluesenkamp Perez said in an interview.

"That's the value of breaking up the monopolization of politics in rural America," she added. "It gets you to a better place from a policy lens." She points to funding wins and work to mitigate pressures on public schools and housing costs in Congress.

On Saturday evening, she talked to a crowd at a brewery about restoring shop class to junior high schools and creating measures that facilitate repairing rather than replacing electronics and appliances.

Gluesenkamp Perez's independence has also earned her critics. She twice helped House Republicans advance their legislative agenda in September, angering Democratic leaders, and voted to fund the Department of Homeland Security in January. In each case, she said the packages contained secondary measures that aligned with her constituents' values.

At a "No Kings" protest last weekend in Vancouver, the district's urban center, several Democratic voters said they weren't happy with Gluesenkamp Perez but still planned to back her. “I will vote for her even though I don’t like her policies,” said Carol Rochat, 71, of Vancouver. “We need all the Democrats we can get, at least to get the majority, and then we’ll still work on her to try to be a little bit more progressive.”

Gluesenkamp Perez ran against a hard-right candidate in her first two races, but this time she's facing a less-polarizing and better-funded opponent in Braun, 59, a business owner and former Navy captain who has represented a slice of the district in the state Legislature for 13 years. He made his pitch to a group of supporters at Long Beach's historic train depot, framing his mission as balancing out the state's Democratic voices in Congress and helping government "get out of the way" of its citizens.

"That's sort of the American dream," he said. "Government doesn't create success for each of us, but we can set the framework for each of us to go out and find whatever success means for us."

Braun talks about reforming tax and energy policy, funding infrastructure improvements and backing the military. He argues for balancing the federal budget, envisioning doing detailed, line-level work to find cuts that will reduce the national debt. "He's in line with my thinking," said Liz Glenn, 63, of Raymond, Wash., listing Christian values, support for law enforcement and "protecting children" as some of her top concerns. A retired bookkeeper who is concerned about immigration and wants to see the House seat turn red, Glenn said she viewed maintaining a Republican majority as critical.

"It's the only way to protect our country's growth," she said, adding, "Without the Republicans fighting against the perversions of the world, there's so much non-American value being brought in." Braun told supporters that Trump's endorsement had helped bring in financial support for his campaign. But, like other Republicans across the country, he has tried to appear independent on issues such as the war in Iran, which Braun has said the United States needs a plan to end.

"This district is a very independent district. I think it gives an opportunity to go make your case directly with the voters and win their trust ... regardless of what the national picture is," Braun said in an interview. Pattie Gray, 66, who chairs the county Republican Party and watched Braun stump at the train depot, said Braun's legislative and military experience made her view him as a "natural fit" for the seat. "We need somebody who's representing us the way we want to be represented," Gray said.

"He sees what this state needs." Gray, who is running for a Pacific County commissioner seat, has been door-knocking for Braun and other local Republican candidates. She's optimistic about the chances to flip the seat, though it's not "a shoo-in," she said. "We have to work really hard," Gray said of turning out voters. "We've only got a couple more weeks." Huddleston, at the chowder shop, didn’t cast a ballot in 2024, unable to stomach supporting either party.

She is motivated to vote this time because she wants to back a local Republican sheriff, whose campaign sign hung on the shop door. But she's upset with Trump's brand of political divisiveness and where it has taken the country. She would prefer a Democratic majority in Congress, she said, to see if they can help fix the economy. That might, Huddleston mused, lead her to support Gluesenkamp Perez when she fills out her ballot. But if so, it won't be with gusto. "Our country is horrible now," Huddleston said. "How can you be enthusiastic about an election?"