Impeachment Republican Wins Primary With Weakened Advantage

Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.) speaks as the House of Representatives debates the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump at the Capitol in Washington on Dec. 18, 2019. House Television via AP

A U.S. House Republican who voted to impeach President Donald Trump advanced to the general election with a weakened advantage.

Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.), the incumbent congressman of the 4th district in Washington state, received 25.48 percent of all the 139,806 votes in the nonpartisan primary held on Aug. 2. He is going to face Democrat Doug White, who got a very close 25.38 percent, in the general election.

Loren Culp, the Republican candidate who was endorsed by Trump, had around 6,000 fewer votes than the primary winners.

Though President Joe Biden won Washington state in the 2020 presidential election, Trump led him with a 19-point advantage in the 4th Congressional district.

Former President Donald Trump (L) talks with LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman on a green during the pro-am round of the Bedminster Invitational LIV Golf tournament in Bedminster, N.J., on July 28, 2022. Seth Wenig/AP Photo

Compared to the results of 2020, Newhouse’s advantage has apparently been weakened over the last two years, which is likely caused by his pro-impeachment stance.

Newhouse won with 57.4 percent of all votes in the 2020 primary, more than double the votes of the second-position Democrat Doug McKinley.

However, he will likely be able to win the general election if the majority of the Republican votes from the primary go to him.

Impeachment Republicans Score 2:6

At least six out of the ten Republicans who voted to impeach Trump in 2021 will not return next Congress.

Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (R-Ohio), and Rep. John Katko (R-N.Y.) have announced retirements after the current term.

Rep. Peter Meijer (R-Mich.) has been defeated by Trump-backed John Gibbs in the Republican primary.

Gibbs is a former Trump administration official.

Rep. Tom Rice (R-S.C.), a five-term congressman, lost his reelection bid to South Carolina state Rep. Russell Fry, who was endorsed by Trump.

However, Meijer told Sirius XM radio’s Julie Mason that he didn’t regret the impeachment vote.

“I would rather lose office with my character intact than stay reelected having made sacrifices of the soul,” he said.

Rep. David Valadao (R-Calif.) and Newhouse survived the primary.

Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-Wash.) is competing with Trump-backed Joe Kent for the second position in the 3rd Congressional district primary in Washington state. Beutler is leading with a razor-thin margin of 257 votes.

Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) delivers a closing statement during a hearing by the House Select Committee to investigate the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol breach, in the Cannon House Office Building in Washington on July 21, 2022. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) appears to be fighting an uphill battle to survive the primary in a deep-red state Trump won with a landslide in 2020.

The Republican primary for the lone congressional seat in Wyoming will be held on Aug. 16.