(The Center Square) – Congressman Dan Newhouse, one of the last remaining U.S. House Republicans who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump, was trailing former NASCAR driver and Navy veteran Jerrod Sessler in primary returns Tuesday night.
Sessler, who was endorsed by Trump, received 29.77% of the vote to Newhouse’s 24.97%, according to preliminary results from the Secretary of State’s Office.
Tiffany Smiley, a former nurse who challenged long-time U.S. Sen. Patty Murray in 2022, garnered 19.47% of the vote. She, too, was endorsed by Trump.
Washington has a nonpartisan primary system in which all candidates appear on the same ballot. The top two finishers in the race advance to the general election regardless of party.
Newhouse was one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. He is seeking his sixth term in office representing the 4th Congressional District in central Washington, which runs from the Canadian border to the Columbia River.
Also attracting attention in deep blue Washington state are contested primaries for its 5th and 6th Congressional Districts, as the current representatives for each, Republican Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Democrat Rep. Derek Kilmer, respectively, are retiring.
The race for the 5th Congressional District in eastern Washington drew 11 candidates that got narrowed down Tuesday night.
Spokane County Treasurer Michael Baumgartner, a former Republican state senator, got 28.14% of the vote. He was followed by Democrat Carmela Conroy, a retired member of the U.S. Foreign Service, with 19.71% of the vote, and Republican state Rep. Jacqueline Maycumber at 12.21%.
Meanwhile, in Washington’s 6th Congressional District, which encompasses the Olympic Peninsula, the Kitsap Peninsula, and most of the city of Tacoma, Kilmer’s retirement has created an opening for a seat that fellow Democrats – including current Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz and Sen. Emily Randall – want. Two Republicans are also in the mix.
Randall had 33.28% of the vote, followed by Republican state Rep. Drew MacEwan, who had 30.49%, and Franz, who had 25.66%.
Democrat U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell is being challenged by 10 people.
Among the most notable is Republican Raul Garcia, a doctor from Yakima who initially decided to run for governor before dropping out of that race and endorsing fellow Republican Dave Reichert.
Cantwell was comfortably leading Garcia by a margin of 57.83% to 21.23%.
Check out the Washington Secretary of State’s website for results from all 10 of Washington's congressional districts.
The Secretary of State’s Office will certify the final results by Aug. 23.
The general election is Nov. 5.
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