SEATTLE (AP) — One of the last remaining Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives who voted to impeach Donald Trump and a candidate supported by the former president advanced to the general election in Washington state’s 4th Congressional District in Tuesday’s primary election.
U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse is seeking a sixth term in the conservative Washington district that stretches from the Canadian border to the Columbia River. In November, he will face Republican Jerrod Sessler, a Navy veteran and former NASCAR driver.
This was a rematch of the duel between the two in 2022, when Sessler finished fourth in the primaries by a wide margin. This time, Sessler said, everything went in his favor. He was endorsed by the Washington State Republican Party and secured Trump’s support early on, which he called a “game changer.” He said he was in regular contact with Trump’s team and referred to a text message he reportedly received from the Republican presidential candidate this year that said, “The country is counting on you.”
“Ninety days from now, this district will vote overwhelmingly for President Trump,” Sessler said in a statement. “I will work hard to ensure we also elect a member of Congress who will be his greatest ally in our fight to pass a pro-Constitution, pro-MAGA agenda and heal our nation from the disaster of the Biden-Harris administration.”
Newhouse has largely avoided the subject of Trump. The third-generation farmer has instead focused on agriculture and border security in a state with millions of acres of pastureland, orchards and grain fields where immigrant labor is extremely critical.
In the run-up to the primaries, Newhouse’s opponents repeatedly described his vote for Trump’s impeachment as a major risk. But political experts warned that it was challenging to say whether Newhouse’s support would sway voters who supported Newhouse two years ago.
Newhouse and U.S. Rep. David Valadao of California are the only remaining Republican members of Congress among the 10 who voted to impeach Trump in 2021. Others withdrew or were defeated by Trump-backed challengers in the primaries.
As of July 17, Newhouse, who was backed by the NRA and the National Right to Life organization, had raised $1.6 million – far more than the $409,000 Sessler raised.
They defeated Tiffany Smiley, a former nurse who entered the race after losing to U.S. Sen. Patty Murray two years ago. She received Trump’s endorsement just three days before the primary, a unique if not unprecedented double endorsement from the former president. But the endorsement for Smiley likely came too slow to sway many voters in the mail-in state.
Under the state’s primary system, the two candidates with the most votes from each contest qualify for the November election, regardless of party affiliation.
