Voters in Washington’s 4th Congressional District will participate in a primary election on Aug. 4 to select a successor for retiring Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA). Newhouse, one of two remaining House Republicans who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump in 2021, recently announced he would not seek re-election. The race features three prominent Republican candidates and one Democrat competing under Washington’s "top-two" primary system, where the two highest vote-getters advance to the general election regardless of party.
The 4th District is described by the Cook Political Report as solidly Republican and covers a rural area heavily dependent on agriculture and energy production. While Trump won the district in 2024, Newhouse maintained his seat despite facing Trump-endorsed challengers in the previous two elections. The current field includes Yakima County Commissioner Amanda McKinney, who has received Trump’s endorsement; businessman Jerrod Sessler, who is running as an outsider; and state Sen. Matt Boehnke, who describes himself as a moderate.
McKinney has been endorsed by both Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson, labeling herself an "America First" candidate. Trump stated she would work to lower taxes and reduce regulations. Sessler, who ran unsuccessfully in 2022 and 2024, argued that Trump’s endorsement is significant but noted that candidates must still perform active campaign work. Boehnke, a 21-year military veteran, stated he intends to follow Newhouse’s legacy of focusing on local infrastructure and agricultural issues while maintaining a civil, moderate voice. The sole Democrat, John Duresky, is a retired government employee whose position was eliminated by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
The scale of political influence in this race is significant because it serves as a test of the former president's endorsement power in a district that has historically preferred a representative who broke with party leadership on impeachment. While Trump won the district handily in 2024, his national approval among rural voters was reported by an NPR/PBS News/Marist poll to be underwater by 10 percentage points. The result will provide data on whether rural Republican voters in Washington prefer candidates aligned with the "America First" platform or those with a background in bipartisan state-level legislating.
The primary marks a shift in Washington’s representation as it loses a long-serving incumbent who represented a specific wing of the Republican Party. If a Democrat like Duresky advances to the general election, it would force a head-to-head contest between two different parties in a district that has not had a viable Democratic candidate recently. The top two candidates will move forward to the general election following the certification of the Aug. 4 results. Future policy directions regarding the Hanford site and regional agricultural exports will depend on which candidate eventually takes office in January 2027.