Newhouse survived Trump-backed challengers. Will they back him Nov. 8 against a Democrat?
Republican candidates who came up short in the primary race for Washington’s 4th Congressional District appear sharply divided on whether to back their party’s incumbent in November.
With all of the votes tallied across the district’s eight counties, Republican Dan Newhouse and Democrat Doug White will move on to the Nov. 8 ballot.
They were the top two finishers in a race that pitted one Democrat against seven Republicans.
Todd Schaefer, a political science professor at Central Washington University, told the Associated Press that the Top 2 primary system likely saved Newhouse, who was targeted for defeat by many Republicans because he voted to impeach President Trump.
“And of course he had the power of incumbency that gave him the ability to tout his record and attack Biden and (Trump-backed challenger Loren) Culp,” he said.
Now, Culp and other Republicans who ran for the seat have different takes on backing Newhouse.
Culp, who finished third, blamed “spoiler candidates” for his coming up short in the primary.
When asked if he would support Newhouse over the Democrat challenger, Culp told the Spokesman-Review that he does not believe Newhouse is a Republican.
Brad Klippert, a state lawmaker and deputy sheriff from Kennewick, ran for the seat with endorsements from both the Benton and Franklin county Republicans.
He told the Tri-City Herald this week he doesn’t plan to give Newhouse a ringing endorsement because of his vote on impeachment and codifying same-sex marriage.
But he admitted he will vote for him and encourage others to do so.
“We need to get the Republicans majorities in both houses in Congress... I will be voting for the Republican candidate in that race and will also be voting for Tiffany Smiley,” he told the Herald.
Jerrod Sessler, of Prosser and a MAGA Republican who also ran for the seat, agrees that Central Washington should retain its Republican representative.
“Everyone in WA CD4 must show up & vote for @RepNewhouse in November,” Sessler wrote in a series of recent Tweets.
“I do not agree with many of the things that Dan has done but he IS the only viable option this November. I can promise you that you WILL have a better option in 2024,” he posted.
He stopped short of announcing a future run, but said he was “not going away” anytime soon.
Splitting of the GOP vote
Newhouse, a Sunnyside farmer, is seeking a fifth term in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was the top choice among primary voters with 25.5%, or about 38,300 votes.
White, a Yakima Democrat and fourth-generation farmer, came in second with 25.1%, or nearly 37,800 votes.
“The Republican Party is united on the need to hold Biden and Pelosi’s reckless spending in check, support our police officers, and protect our dams from radical environmentalists,” said campaign manager Derek Flint in an email, “and Republicans understand the only way to do that is to support Dan Newhouse for Congress.”
Culp, the former police chief of Republic who ran unsuccessfully against Gov. Jay Inslee, finished third behind Newhouse and White with about 21.6%, or 32,500 votes.
And Sessler landed a distant fourth with 12.3%, or 18,500 votes. Klippert finished with 10.3% or about 15,400 votes.
Rare primary success
Newhouse’s victory over challengers endorsed by the former president was rare.
He was just one of 10 U.S. House Republicans to vote “yes” to the second impeachment of Trump following the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol.
Four pro-impeachment lawmakers opted not to seek re-election this year, according to reporting from The Hill. Another three — including Southwest Washington Rep. Jaime Herrera-Beutler, R-Battle Ground — lost their primaries to Trump-backed candidates.
Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney — one of Trump’s most ardent critics — also lost her primary.
That leaves just Newhouse and California Rep. David Valadao, R-Hanford. But Valadao will face an uphill battle in the general election, as voters in California’s 22nd Congressional District lean Democratic.
Doug White says he believes he can beat Newhouse in November, even though their race is in Washington’s most conservative congressional district, according to the Cook Partisan Voting Index.
Nearly three-quarters of votes cast in the 4th Congressional District primary race were for Republican candidates.
“The voters have clearly stated that it is time to put someone in office that can do the job for the people of Central Washington,” White tweeted after the AP called the race.
Jay Inslee was the last Democrat to win the district when he lived in the Yakima Valley. But that was in 1992, as Bill Clinton won the White House in a blue wave. Inslee lost in the next election cycle as Republicans made midterm gains in Congress.
The 4th Congressional District encompasses eight counties — Benton, Franklin, Adams, Yakima, Klickitat, Douglas, Grant, and Okanogan — that stretch from Oregon to the Canadian border. It includes the Tri-Cities, Yakima, Moses Lake and East Wenatchee.
Klippert out in WA Legislature
As a result of his primary loss, Klippert will be out of an elected office post for the first time in about 13 years.
Because of his campaign for Congress, Klippert was ineligible to run for re-election for his seat representing the 8th Legislative District.
As a result, he’ll be out of state lawmaking for the next two years starting in January. But he’s not ruling out a future run for a seat in the Washington State Legislature.
“I don’t want to sit back and do nothing, I want to be a part of the solution,” Klippert said, saying he feels a “calling to governmental leadership.”
Republicans Stephanie Barnard and Patrick Guettner will face off in November to fill his vacant House seat.
