Washington is one of the few states with a top-two primary system, where the top two vote-getters regardless of party affiliation will face each other in the general election. That’s created some confusing primary dynamics this cycle, and intra-party battles in multiple House districts could drag into the general election season.
Republican Rep. Dan Newhouse, one of two Republicans still in Congress who voted to impeach President Donald Trump, faces a Trump-endorsed, but under-funded candidate — as well as the GOP’s U.S. Senate nominee in 2022. Though he should advance to the general election, whether or not that race is competitive depends on which candidate earns the second spot.
On the Olympic Peninsula, Washington’s congressional delegation is split between two Democrats running to succeed outgoing Rep. Derek Kilmer. And on the opposite side of the state, primary voters will pick GOP Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers’ successor.
Washington’s 3rd District, in the southwestern corner of the state, is guaranteed to feature one of the most competitive races in the country this cycle. The primary should make the expected rematch between freshman
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