Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) is retiring from Congress. He was one of only two House Republicans who voted to impeach President Trump in 2021 and is still in office. His retirement sets up a crowded primary on August 4, 2026, in Washington's 4th Congressional District. Eleven candidates have entered the race, and the contest has revealed divisions within the state Republican Party. NPR

Washington's 4th District covers the rural, central part of the state. Its economy depends on farming and energy. It is the most conservative district in Washington, and more than 40% of its population is Latino. Donald Trump carried the district in 2024, and the Cook Political Report rates it solidly Republican. NPR

Newhouse survived Trump-endorsed primary challengers in both 2022 and 2024. In the 2024 general election, held November 5, Newhouse defeated Jerrod Sessler, a Republican who ran to his right. Ballotpedia Newhouse is one of only two Republicans from the 2021 impeachment vote still serving in the House.

Washington uses what is called a top-two primary system. That means the two candidates who get the most votes move on to the November general election, no matter what party they belong to. It works like a cutoff: everyone runs at once, and only the top two survive. NPR The 2026 general election is scheduled for November 3, according to FEC reporting dates. FEC

Eleven candidates filed to replace Newhouse, according to a Spokesman-Review report published June 7. Spokesman-Review Washington's candidate filing window ran May 4 through May 6. Washington Secretary of State

The Republican field's most prominent contender is Yakima County Commissioner Amanda McKinney. She holds endorsements from Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson. McKinney's relationship with Newhouse is complicated. She endorsed him in 2024 and stood by him after his impeachment vote, even though she disagreed with the decision. At an AmericaFest convention hosted by Turning Point USA, however, McKinney said Newhouse's impeachment vote was the reason she was running for Congress and that she created a strategy to retire him. NPR

Jerrod Sessler, the businessman and former candidate who lost to Newhouse in the 2024 general, is running again. He positions himself as an anti-establishment outsider. State Sen. Matt Boehnke is running as a more moderate candidate in the style of Newhouse. NPR

John Duresky, an Air Force veteran and former government employee, is the only Democrat in the race. Duresky retired from federal service after being notified by DOGE that his position would be eliminated. NPR

Under FEC rules, candidates must register using a form called a Statement of Candidacy (Form 2) within 15 days of becoming a candidate. FEC In the 2025-2026 election cycle, the 951 candidates running for the House reported combined total receipts of $455.9 million and disbursements of $265.3 million in the six-month reporting period. FEC

The Washington Secretary of State has published a 2026 primary voters' guide, customized to the measures and races on a voter's precinct ballot. Washington Secretary of State

The broader context here is a district that has repeatedly tested the boundaries of Republican loyalty to Trump. Newhouse kept his seat twice against Trump-backed challengers, but chose not to seek a third contest under those conditions. The primary now turns on whether McKinney, who simultaneously backed Newhouse and built a strategy to push him out, can unite the Trump-aligned and establishment wings of the party under one banner, or whether Sessler's outsider pitch or Boehnke's moderate lane splits the vote enough to produce an unexpected top-two pairing.

NPR characterized the race to replace Newhouse as significant for Republicans planning their post-Trump future. NPR The 4th District's solidly Republican rating means the primary outcome will likely determine who holds the seat in the next Congress. With eleven candidates on the ballot under a top-two system, vote fragmentation is a practical concern: a candidate can advance to November with a relatively small share of the total vote, and the ordering of the top two will signal which faction within the GOP carried the district.