Twelve candidates are vying for Washington's 4th Congressional District on Tuesday, and the incumbent has a target on his back.

Republican Rep. Dan Newhouse faces a crowded field in the Washington 4th District primary 2026, with a single outside group already spending more than $700,000 to back one of his challengers. The top-two primary narrows the field to two finalists who will meet in November.

Washington's 4th Congressional District Primary

Washington's 4th Congressional District stretches across the state's agricultural interior, anchored in the Yakima Valley and reaching into Kittitas and surrounding counties east of the Cascades. The district is one of the more rural and geographically expansive in the Pacific Northwest, with an economy built on agriculture, including fruit orchards and wine grapes.

Washington uses a nonpartisan top-two primary system. All candidates, regardless of party, appear on a single ballot, and the two highest vote-getters advance to the general election on Nov. 3, no matter their party affiliation. Two Republicans, two Democrats, or any other combination can advance. The Aug. 4 primary field includes 12 candidates spanning Republican, Democratic, independent, and other party lines.

Newhouse has held the seat since 2015. He is not stepping aside. But his 2021 vote to impeach Donald Trump following the Jan. 6 Capitol attack has made him a persistent target of primary challenges from the right, and this cycle is no exception. Outside spending data show a well-funded effort to unseat him from within his own party. All three major political ratings organizations rate the district Solid Republican, and prediction markets give the Republican nominee a better than 90% chance of winning the general election, meaning the primary is the race that matters most.

The Candidates

Newhouse is seeking another term after more than a decade representing the district. He is one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump in January 2021, a vote that has defined his subsequent primary campaigns. He has survived previous challenges from Trump-aligned opponents.

Amanda McKinney is the primary challenger drawing the most organized outside support. Washington Rising Inc. has directed $700,727 in independent expenditures to boost her candidacy, making her the financial centerpiece of the anti-incumbent effort in the race.

Jerrod Sessler is a second Republican challenger in the field. The Freedom Caucus Fund reported $100 in support spending on his behalf.

Other candidates include Matt Boehnke (R), John Hughs (R), Elpidia Saavedra (R), Ken Vaz (R), Devin Poore (Cascade Party), Favian Valencia (Independent Party), Jacek Kobiesa, and Zac Rossi (both with no party preference).

The Money Behind the Race

According to FEC filings, McKinney leads campaign finance totals with $981,819 raised. Sessler trails far behind her with $605,363. Boehnke pulled in $212,005 while Duresky and Hughs raised $179,020 and $4,958, respectively.

Outside spending in the race totaled $700,827 in independent expenditures as of July 1, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) data. No communication costs were reported.

Washington Rising Inc. accounts for nearly all of it. The group spent $700,727, every dollar of it in support of McKinney. The Freedom Caucus Fund reported $100 in support of Sessler. No other outside groups reported spending in the race, and no opposition spending, money spent against any candidate, appeared in the FEC data.

The concentration is striking in its lopsidedness. One group, one candidate, one direction. No outside money has been reported in support of or in opposition to Newhouse.

Total fundraising across all candidates in the race reached $2,702,022, per FEC records as of Aug. 3. Candidate-by-candidate breakdowns of individual fundraising were not available in the records reviewed for this article.

Ratings vs. Odds

Cook Political Report rated the seat Solid Republican as of July 16. Sabato's Crystal Ball issued the same rating as of July 30. Inside Elections rated it Solid Republican as of June 30. The consensus rating, drawn from all three, stands at Solid Republican as of July 30.

That unanimity reflects a district that has not been genuinely competitive at the general election level in recent cycles. The primary, by contrast, carries real stakes given the well-funded challenge to the incumbent.

On Kalshi, the Republican nominee carries a 90.5% probability of winning the general election, with the Democratic candidate at 9.5%, as of Aug. 3. The market has recorded $25,984 in trading volume on the race. The odds underscore what the ratings make plain: whoever survives Tuesday is the heavy favorite in November.

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