Trump-backed challenger advances in central WA congressional race

Jerrod Sessler’s lead over Congressman Dan Newhouse grew Wednesday, but Newhouse remained in a position to advance to the general election in November.

Sessler, a Republican endorsed by former President Donald Trump, had 31.2% of the vote as of 5 p.m. on Wednesday. The Associated Press called the primary in Sessler’s favor about an hour earlier but still hasn’t confirmed Newhouse will get through.

Newhouse’s share of the vote stands at 24.6%, down slightly from 25% on Tuesday. Tiffany Smiley, another Republican, was in third with 19%, with her share of the vote also slipping by about half a percentage point compared to a day earlier.

If Newhouse makes it out of the primary, he’ll have a tough path keeping the House seat he’s held since 2015. 

He’s one of 10 GOP House members who voted to impeach Trump in 2021 and one of only two still serving in the chamber. That’s made him a target for the former president. Trump endorsed both Sessler and Smiley and has attacked Newhouse.

The 4th district covers much of central Washington, from the Canadian border to Oregon, and including the Yakima Valley, the Yakama Indian Reservation, the Tri-Cities, Moses Lake and parts of the North Cascades and the Colville Reservation.

Sessler is a Navy veteran and businessman. He ran for the seat two years ago, garnering 12% of the vote that time around. 

In that election cycle, Newhouse, whose background is in farming, finished the primary with 25% of the vote but got about two-thirds of it in November running against a Democrat.