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Why It Matters
Central Washington’s 4th Congressional District — a sprawling, reliably Republican stretch of territory running from the Oregon border to Canada — is heading into one of its most competitive primaries in years. Rep. Dan Newhouse’s decision to step aside after more than a decade in office has drawn 11 candidates and set off a contest where a Trump endorsement could prove decisive.
What Happened
Newhouse, 70, announced last December he would not seek another term, ending a congressional run that began with his first election in 2014. His departure triggered an unusually crowded field for a district the Cook Political Report rates at R+10 — solidly Republican and unlikely to flip in a general election.
Among the 11 candidates, three Republicans stand out: Yakima County Commissioner Amanda McKinney, businessman Jerrod Sessler, and state Sen. Matt Boehnke. Seven additional candidates fill out the ballot, including three other Republicans, a Cascade Party member, an independent, and two with no party affiliation. Democrats have united behind retired Air Force Maj. John Duresky.
Washington state uses a top-two primary system, meaning the two leading vote-getters on August 4 — regardless of party — advance to the general election. Political observers expect that to produce a likely matchup between the top Republican and Duresky, with the Republican heavily favored given the district’s partisan lean. No Democrat running against Newhouse since 2014 has broken 37.2 percent of the general election vote.
Trump’s Shadow Over the Race
The most consequential factor may be President Trump’s endorsement of McKinney. The dynamic stands in sharp contrast to 2024, when Trump split his backing between Sessler and another candidate — helping Newhouse survive a primary challenge despite finishing with just 23 percent of the vote before winning the general.
Newhouse’s vulnerability to a primary challenge was rooted in his 2021 vote to impeach Trump following the January 6 Capitol riot. He was one of only 10 House Republicans to support impeachment. McKinney has made that vote a central part of her campaign pitch, claiming she decided to push Newhouse out specifically because of it.
The relationship between McKinney and Trump’s orbit solidified early. Newhouse himself invited McKinney to attend Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress as his guest in March 2025 — a striking move given that she was already positioning herself as his replacement. McKinney, 48, has served as a Yakima County commissioner since 2020 and has pledged to serve no more than 12 years in Congress if elected.
McKinney’s path to Trump’s endorsement is not without its complications. In 2024, she recorded a campaign advertisement supporting Newhouse’s re-election bid. When asked about the apparent contradiction, McKinney said a late-2024 interview gave her clarity: “When you’re choosing an elected representative, it’s not houses or spouses.”
By the Numbers
- 11 candidates running to fill the seat
- R+10 — district partisan rating per Cook Political Report
- 23% — Newhouse’s vote share in the 2024 primary
- 37.2% — highest vote share any Democrat has received against Newhouse in a general election since 2014
- August 4 — primary election date
Zoom Out
The race reflects a broader realignment playing out in Republican primaries nationwide, where Trump’s endorsement continues to function as a sorting mechanism — rewarding loyalty and sidelining those who broke with him during his first term. The 4th District contest mirrors similar dynamics in other safe Republican seats, where the real competition happens in the primary, not the general.
Todd Schaefer, chair of the political science department at Central Washington University, noted the structural quirk the top-two system creates in a field this crowded. “Several Republicans are going to split the vote on that side; a Democrat won’t,” Schaefer said, adding that the likely outcome resembles “a partisan primary” in which the leading Republican and leading Democrat advance — with the Republican almost certainly winning in November.
Meanwhile, broader fiscal pressures across the Mountain West and Pacific Northwest states continue to shape the political environment. Washington’s governor has already put state agencies on notice as budget conditions tighten, an issue that could factor into how candidates frame federal spending priorities on the campaign trail.
What’s Next
The August 4 primary will narrow the field to two candidates who advance to the November general election. With Trump’s backing consolidated behind McKinney and Democrats running a unified candidate, the primary is effectively a referendum on which Republican the party’s base in central Washington trusts to carry the seat forward.
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