Washington's 2nd Congressional District Primary

Voters in Washington's 2nd Congressional District go to the polls today, Aug. 4, as four candidates compete in the state's top-two primary for a House seat that incumbent Democrat Rick Larsen has held since 2001. The top two finishers advance to the Nov. 3 general election regardless of party.

Washington's top-two system, sometimes called a jungle primary, places all candidates on a single nonpartisan ballot. Any combination of parties can advance, though in a district rated Solid Democratic by every major forecaster, the two major parties are expected to claim the top spots. The general election follows on Nov. 3, 2026.

The 2nd District stretches across the northwestern corner of Washington State, running from the northern Puget Sound region through the San Juan Islands and along the coast to the Canadian border. Everett and Bellingham anchor the district, which also takes in coastal communities, island communities, and portions of the Cascade foothills. It is among the state's more geographically expansive House seats.

Prior vote totals from earlier election cycles are not available in the records underlying this article, but the district's partisan character is not in dispute. Cook Political Report, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and Inside Elections all rate the seat Solid Democratic, and prediction markets put the Democratic nominee's probability of winning the general election at better than 96 percent.

The Candidates

Larsen has represented the 2nd District since 2001, making him one of the longer-serving members of the Washington congressional delegation. He faces two challengers: Devin Hermanson and Tomas Scheel. Edwin Feller is the only other candidate on the ballot, and he's running under the Republican Party.

The Money Behind the Race

All candidates in the race combined raised $2,051,585 through the most recent reporting period, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) records. Larsen raised $2,038,786 of that total in comparison to Scheel's $10,409.

Outside spending has been negligible. Through July 1, total independent expenditures in the race reached $10, the entire amount coming from Sierra Club Independent Action, spent in support of Larsen.

Ratings vs. Odds

Cook Political Report rated the seat Solid Democratic as of July 16. Sabato's Crystal Ball and Inside Elections reached the same conclusion, with ratings dated July 30 and June 30, respectively. The composite consensus rating, last updated July 30, is also Solid Democratic.

Prediction markets align with that assessment. Kalshi gave the Democratic candidate a 96.1 percent win probability as of Aug. 3, against 3.9 percent for the Republican. A total of 471 contracts had traded on the race.

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