Washington US House primary results: Newhouse vs. Sessler in 4th District

While a considerable amount of attention in the 2024 election in the state of Washington has been focused on the races for governor and, nationally, for president, five of the state’s 10 U.S. House races may see considerable intrigue this election season and it began with Tuesday’s primaries.

A couple of retirements — most notably those of Democratic Rep. Derek Kilmer and Republican Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers — have injected some level of excitement into the state primaries this election cycle.

It’s worth reiterating that Washington has a top-two primary system in which all candidates appear on the same ballot regardless of party and the top two finishers advance to the general election.

Also, because Washington is a vote-by-mail state, with ballots due to be postmarked by Election Day, it often takes days to learn final results in close races.

3rd District: Kent gets rematch vs. Gluesenkamp Perez

UPDATE, 8/6: According to projections from The Associated Press (AP), Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and Republican Joe Kent have advanced to face off in the November election.

EARLIER 3RD DISTRICT ITEM:

Trump-endorsed Joe Kent is trying to set up another showdown against Democrat U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, who defeated him two years ago.

Gluesenkamp Perez came out of nowhere to win the seat against Kent, who had Trump’s backing in a district that hadn’t been in Democratic hands for over a decade. She took over a seat held by a more moderate Republican who lost the primary in part because she voted to impeach Trump after the Jan. 6 insurrection.

In that race, Gluesenkamp Perez defeated Kent by 2,629 votes, or under one percentage point (50.1-49.3).

Now, armed once again with Trump’s endorsement, Kent is back to try to take the seat in the southwest corner of the state. But he is facing stiff competition as former King County Prosecutor Leslie Lewallen gains a groundswell of support from conservatives looking to move the seat back into more moderate Republican hands.

Gluesenkamp Perez, who was ranked by the Lugar Center and the Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy as having one of the most bipartisan voting records in the U.S. House, has far outraised her competitors. She is expected to make it out of the primary and face one of the tightest general elections in the country.

Gluesenkamp Perez has raised over $6.7 million, Ballotpedia reports. Kent is lagging behind to this point, sitting at about $1.365 million. Both figures were reported through July 17.

The 3rd District is in Southwest Washington and includes Vancouver, Longview and Centralia.

4th District: Newhouse to take on Sessler, projections state

UPDATE, 8/7: According to projections from the AP, two Republicans — incumbent U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse and Jerrod Sessler — have advanced to the November general election.

EARLIER 4TH DISTRICT ITEM:

Voters in the 4th District will be choosing between U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse, one of the last remaining House Republicans who voted to impeach Donald Trump, and two conservative rivals endorsed by the GOP presidential nominee.

Newhouse’s bid for a sixth term has meant going up against Trump-endorsed candidates Jerrod Sessler, a Navy veteran, and Tiffany Smiley, a former nurse who entered the race after losing to U.S. Sen. Patty Murray two years ago. Trump’s backing for Sessler came months ago, while his endorsement for Smiley happened three days before the primary, marking a unique, though not unprecedented, dual endorsement by the former president.

Newhouse’s opponents believe his vote to impeach Trump is a huge liability, but political experts caution it’s difficult to say whether the endorsements will sway voters who already stuck with Newhouse two years ago.

Newhouse is endorsed by the NRA and the National Right to Life, and he has mostly steered clear of the subject of Trump. He’s instead focused on agriculture and border security in a state with millions of acres of pastures, orchards and cereal grain lands where immigrant labor is extremely important.

Newhouse’s fundraising numbers have him in the lead over his primary opponents, according to Ballotpedia. He has raised nearly $1.6 million.

Smiley — about $720,000 — and Sessler — just over $419,000 — combined leave them significantly behind Newhouse. All figures were reported through July 17.

The 4th District is in Central Washington and includes Yakima, Kennewick and Moses Lake.

5th District: Race to replace McMorris Rodgers is on

UPDATE, 8/7: According to projections from the AP, Democrat Carmela Conroy has advanced to the general election in November.

UPDATE, 8/6: AP projections previously stated Republican Michael Baumgartner also has advanced to the November election.

EARLIER 5th DISTRICT ITEM:

Earlier this year, incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers announced she was not going to seek another term after serving for 20 years. Her departure has led to significant interest across the district as 10 active candidates — 6 Republicans and 4 Democrats — will battle for votes to move on to the general election in November.

Moving on: McMorris Rodgers won’t seek re-election after 20 years representing Eastern Washington

As Ballotpedia reports, former state senator and current Spokane County Treasurer Michael Baumgartner is by far the top fundraiser of the Republicans running, securing nearly $800,000 as of July 17.

Dr. Bernadine Bank, a founder of the Gynecological Department at the Spokane VA Hospital, according to her campaign website, is the fundraising leader of the Democrats running. But Carmela Conroy, a former chair of the Spokane County Democratic Party and a long-time foreign service officer for the U.S. State Department is close behind. No Democratic candidate has raised more than $300,000 as of  July 17, Ballotpedia also states.

The Republican Party will likely have an advantage maintaining the seat McMorris Rodgers is vacating as she won all of her 10 elections by at least 10 percentage points. She defeated Natasha Hill in 2022 59.1-40.7.

The 5th District is in Eastern Washington and includes Spokane, Pullman and Walla Walla.

6th District: Democrats hold fundraising lead in election to replace Kilmer

UPDATE, 8/7: Hilary Franz has conceded a spot in the Novmeber general election. She stated in a post on X Wednesday that she called Emily Randall to “congratulate her on her historic primary win.”

Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer announced last year that he wouldn’t be running for another term in the 6th District.

“As nourishing as this job is, it has come with profound costs to my family,” Kilmer said in a statement at the time. “I’d sure like to make a bit more time for those I love.”

Three candidates are expected to vie for two open spots in the November general election. Two of the three are Democrats and have raised more than $2.4 million as of July 17, Ballotpedia reports.

In the fundraising lead is Hilary Franz with more than $1.36 million. The current public lands commissioner committed to the congressional race last fall after dropping out of the race to replace Inslee as the next governor of Washington

Franz initially announced her candidacy for governor in May, but failed to win endorsements of prominent state Democrats. That included Inslee, who instead endorsed Attorney General Bob Ferguson.

Washington politics: Franz ends governor run, shifts to replace Kilmer

State Sen. Emily Randall of Bremerton is the other Democrat who has raised more than $1 million to grab hold of the 6th District seat. Randall has worked for “various non-profits to help expand access to higher education as well as affordable health care,” according to her website.

Republican State Sen. Drew MacEwen of Shelton is the lone Republican seeking the seat. He has served in Olympia in some form since 2012. He was in the state House to start and was elected to the state Senate in 2023. He has raised over $153,000, according to Ballotpedia.

The Democratic party likely will feel comfortable holding on to this seat as it has done so since 1965, The Associated Press recently noted.

The 6th District is in Western Washington, and includes parts of Tacoma and cities on the Olympic Peninsula such as Bremerton, Aberdeen and Port Angeles.

8th District: Schrier, Goers move on to November

UPDATE, 8/6: Projections from the AP state Democrat Kim Schrier and Republican Carmen Goers have advanced in the November general election.

EARLIER 8TH DISTRICT ITEM:

Democratic U.S. Rep. Kim Schrier’s bid to return to office has been shaken up by an upstart campaign started because of the response to the Israel-Hamas war.

Imraan Siddiqi, the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Washington, has made the war in Gaza a centerpiece of his platform and has gained some traction as he derides Schrier for her approach, which often aligns with President Joe Biden’s.

The district is a mix of wealthy Seattle exurbs populated by tech workers and central Washington farmland, and until 2019 had been held by the GOP. Siddiqi’s presence could make Schrier appear more moderate, something she has historically sought by way of Republican endorsements in the purple district.

Schrier, a pediatrician, has stayed quiet about the war recently, instead showcasing the 14 bills she’s had signed into law by Trump and Biden. Experts anticipate she will go head-to-head in November with the Republican in the race, Carmen Goers, a commercial banker running to tamp down inflation and cut back on crime.

Schrier also holds a mammoth fundraising advantage to this point, Ballotpedia states. She has raised just under $4.66 million as of July 17. Siddiqi has raised about $387,000 and Goers reached over $167,000.

The 8th District is in Central Washington and includes Wenatchee and Ellensburg.

Other US House races

The AP has projected the following other candidates will move on to the November general election:

• 1st District: Democratic incumbent Suzan DelBene has advanced.
• 2nd District: Democratic incumbent Rick Larsen will face off against Republican Cody Hart.
• 7th District: Democratic incumbent Pramila Jayapal is moving on to the fall race.
• 9th District: Democratic incumbent Adam Smith has advanced.
• 10th District: Democratic incumbent Marilyn Strickland will take on Republican Don Hewett.

Contributing: The Associated Press

Steve Coogan is the lead editor of MyNorthwest. You can read more of his stories here. Follow Steve on X, or email him here.