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Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA), one of the few remaining House Republicans who voted to impeach President Donald Trump after the January 6 protests, announced Wednesday that he will not seek reelection in 2026, marking the end of a three-decade political career in Washington state and Congress.
“I am announcing today that I will not seek reelection to the U.S. House of Representatives,” Newhouse said in a written statement. “Serving the Fourth District of Washington has been the honor of my life, and this decision comes with no reservations or remorse, only gratitude for the tremendous opportunity to have represented my home state in Congress.”
Newhouse went on to thank his constituents and his colleagues “on both sides of the aisle,” reflecting on a 25-year career in public office that began in the Washington state legislature.
“Public service takes many forms,” he said. “As I look forward to this new chapter and ways I can continue to serve my community and this great Nation, I do so with confidence that there are now qualified and serious people expressing interest in this office. Central Washington will have a strong, capable leader to whom I can pass the torch.”
Newhouse, 69, represents Washington’s Fourth Congressional District, a reliably Republican area rated R+10 by the Cook Partisan Voting Index. The district spans much of central and eastern Washington, encompassing the counties of Douglas, Okanogan, Grant, Yakima, Benton, and Klickitat, along with portions of Adams and Franklin counties.
A farmer and former director of Washington’s Department of Agriculture, Newhouse first entered Congress in 2015 and built a reputation as a pragmatic conservative focused on agriculture, water policy, and rural economic issues.
But Newhouse’s departure will undoubtedly be remembered by his decision to join a partisan effort to impeach then President Donald Trump over the Capitol Riots on January 6. Newhouse was one of 10 House Republicans to vote in favor of impeaching Trump based on cherry picked evidence and partisan framing of his legal and constitutionally protected efforts to contest the 2020 election results.
“These Articles of Impeachment are flawed, but I will not use process as an excuse. There is no excuse for President Trump’s actions. The President took an oath to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic,” he said at the time.
“Last week, there was a domestic threat at the door of the Capitol, and he did nothing to stop it. That is why, with a heavy heart and clear resolve, I will vote ‘yes’ on these Articles of Impeachment.”
President Donald Trump not only called for “peaceful and patriotic” protesting in favor of election objections prior to the rioting, but he made several calls for peace and respect for law and order following the riots breaking out, including a blunt message to “go home” that was followed shortly thereafter by massive coordinate censorship on all major social media platforms.
In addition, it was revealed in an Inspector General’s report that the Pentagon was told by President Trump to secure the Capitol during the expected protests, particularly, if that meant authorizing as many as 10,000 National Guard troops to protect the joint session.
Newhouse, nonetheless, joined in Speaker Pelosi’s partisan agenda to impeach the sitting president and bar him from seeking future office, thereby defying the will of the people. Thus, he will be remembered as an accomplice to the undemocratic efforts to sabotage the Democratic Party’s political opposition.
Of the 10 impeachment voters, eight have been ousted in primary contests or opted to retire when facing certain defeat. Only Newhouse and Rep. David Valadao (R-CA) — who is facing a strong chance of defeat next year — are still serving in Congress.
Newhouse had survived fierce primary challenges from former NASCAR Driver and staunch Trump supporter Jerrod Sessler in 2022 and 2024. Sessler announced back in January that he will be running for the seat once again in 2026.
