One of the last two House Republicans who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump is facing significant challenges in central Washington.
Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.) emerged from his state’s all-party primary alongside the Trump-backed Republican candidate, Jerrod Sessler. Supporters of Newhouse were optimistic about this outcome, believing that the more centrist incumbent could win in the general election by uniting moderate Republicans, Democrats, and independents.
However, this strategy hinges on Newhouse not alienating too many GOP voters in a district that supported Trump by a substantial 17 points in the 2020 election. Concerns are mounting among Republicans that he could indeed face backlash from his party.
Things took a turn for the worse for Newhouse when Trump publicly endorsed Sessler on Truth Social. In a post, Trump criticized Newhouse, calling him a “Weak and Pathetic RINO” and claimed, “Newhouse has to go! He wished he didn’t do what he did, but it’s too late, and besides that, he didn’t represent the people nearly as well as Jerrod will.” This endorsement is likely to rally Trump’s supporters around Sessler and heighten the pressure on Newhouse.
In the recent five-way primary held in August, Newhouse trailed Sessler by 15,000 votes. Despite this, allies from the Republican Main Street Partnership were relieved to have outmaneuvered a potentially tougher challenger, 2022 Senate nominee Tiffany Smiley.
Newhouse is one of only two House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump, and the other, Rep. David Valadao (R-Calif.), is also facing a tough race in California’s Central Valley. In Valadao’s district, a Democratic group is actively campaigning to remind voters of his impeachment vote, further complicating his re-election bid.
With mounting pressure from within the party and a challenging electoral landscape, Newhouse’s path to securing his seat in Congress has become increasingly precarious. The dynamics of his district, coupled with Trump’s endorsement of his opponent, have put him in a vulnerable position as he navigates the upcoming election.
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