Washington state’s open primary Aug.4 will decide what two candidates will be on the November ballot to succeed Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.) to represent the 4th congressional district, which includes the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site.
There are 11 candidates running for the office that Newhouse is vacating in January, according to the Spokesman-Review newspaper. Newhouse announced in December 2025 he would not seek re-election.
Democrats in the traditionally Republican district have lined up behind John Duresky, according to the Spokesman article. Duresky retired from the U.S. Air Force with the rank of major and also worked for the civil service, according to his campaign webpage.
There are a slew of Republicans in the open primary including Jerrod Sessler, a Navy veteran, businessman and former NASCAR driver who beat Newhouse in the open primary two years ago before losing in the November general rematch with the long-term incumbent. President Donald Trump endorsed Sessler in 2024. This time around Trump is backing Yakima County Commissioner Amanda McKinney to succeed Newhouse, according to the Yakima Herald-Republic.
Newhouse, 71, is a member of the House Appropriations Committee, who came to Congress in 2015 after serving in the Washington state House and as a state agriculture director. Despite being considered pro-business and pro-border security in conservative ratings, Newhouse was one of a handful of House Republicans to vote to impeach Trump following the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol by a mob of Trump supporters.
While Trump has since backed Newhouse’s GOP opponents, the structure of Washington’s open or “jungle” primary have worked in Newhouse’s favor.