It’s never a good time for a politician to run afoul of the law.
It’s an especially bad time for a viral video of such an incident to surface just months before the November midterms.
Democratic Washington state House candidate Krista Perez is having the latter sort of bad time.
The 46-year-old Perez had the distinct displeasure of becoming an internet meme overnight after her bizarre, emotional response to a DUI arrest went viral.
According to Fox News, Perez was driving her SUV on Aug. 11, shortly after midnight. Police said her erratic driving led her to hit a parked car.
The outlet added that the initial collision ended up “setting off a chain reaction that damaged five vehicles.”
Local Seattle radio host Jason Rantz helped break the story, taking to X to post a video of the incident.
And the video grabbed a lot of attention:
A Democrat running for the Washington Legislature told police she drank wine, then asked to go home before taking a sobriety test. Exclusive body cam shows Krista Perez sobbing and praying in the back of a patrol car after her Tacoma DUI arrest. Watch the video. pic.twitter.com/cc7rwvJEpF
— Jason Rantz on Seattle Red (@jasonrantz) September 16, 2026
Perez was seen sobbing uncontrollably and praying as the gravity of her situation dawned on her.
As Fox News reported it: “Prosecutors charged her with DUI, with a refusal enhancement in connection with the collision and a later encounter with police.”
Even before the histrionics, the video wasn’t painting Perez in the best light.
When police initially asked her whether she had caused the accident, Perez denied it. She also said that she had never been in an accident before.
Perez also fumbled a bit when asked for her insurance, and then admitted to drinking before getting behind the wheel.
However, she claimed she had just had one glass of wine. When the officer probed just how big this glass of wine was, she told the officer, “I think you might need to contact the business.”
The critical moment happened when Perez declined to take any field sobriety tests. She appeared to be under the impression that she would be allowed to decline the sobriety test (they are technically voluntary), go home, sober up, and then take the test.
Instead, the officer placed her under arrest after she formally declined the sobriety tests — leading to some of those emotional outbursts in the police vehicle.
Perez is slated to square off with incumbent state Rep. Melanie Morgan, also a Democrat, in the November midterms.
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