Rep. Newhouse won’t run again. He’s ready to ‘pass the torch’
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- Rep. Dan Newhouse announces retirement, triggering an open 2026 Central Washington primary
- Newhouse, a third-generation Yakima Valley farmer, won six terms and held committee posts
- His impeachment vote drew GOP criticism; Trump said he was worse than a 'RINO'
U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse announced Wednesday his retirement from the House of Representatives at the end of next year.
“Serving the 4th 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,” the Sunnyside Republican said in a statement.
Newhouse’s exit will almost certainly set the stage for a contentious 2026 primary in Central Washington. He won reelection to a sixth term last year, narrowly defeating Trump-endorsed challenger Jerrod Sessler, a businessman from Prosser, by just 6 percentage points.
The Yakima Valley farmer won election to Congress more than a decade ago after having served as the director of the Washington State Department of Agriculture. Before that, he served four terms as a lawmaker in the state House of Representatives.
“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,” Newhouse said. “Central Washington will have a strong, capable leader to whom I can pass the torch.”
Newhouse says he has not made a decision if he will endorse anyone for his seat in next year’s election.
He thanked his family for their “steadfast love and support” which helped him serve.
“I am truly humbled by this uniquely American journey that took a farm boy from Sunnyside, Washington, clear across the country to represent his friends and neighbors in the ‘other’ Washington. I will continue to serve my district with energy and enthusiasm until the end of my term,” he said.
Newhouse joins a long list of members of Congress who say they’ve chosen to not seek reelection in next year’s midterm elections. At least 10% of Congress will not return to their seats after 2026, NPR reports, and some Republicans in the U.S. House have begun breaking ranks with Speaker Mike Johnson.
Newhouse’s campaign originally told the Tri-City Herald in late October that he would be running again in 2026, as progressives and Democrats began touting their bids to challenge him. It’s unclear what may have changed.
Three candidates have filed paperwork with the FEC to run for Newhouse’s seat: Sessler, West Richland Democrat John Duresky and Richland Republican Wesley Meier. There are also reports that Yakima County Commissioner Amanda McKinney may jump into the race.
The congressman serves on the House Committee on Appropriations, the House Committee on Agriculture and a House Select Committee on CCP strategy. He formerly sat on the Natural Resources Committee and had chaired the Republican-packed Congressional Western Caucus.
Newhouse is one of the last two House Republicans left who voted to impeach President Donald Trump over his involvement in fomenting the Jan. 6, 2021, riots at the U.S. Capitol. The president has called Newhouse a “liberal” and “far left of a RINO” over that vote.
‘A farm boy from Sunnyside’
Newhouse has been a staunch advocate for retaining the four lower Snake River dams in Eastern Washington, for stronger budgets for the environmental cleanup of the Hanford nuclear site, and for reforming and modernizing the systems employing the nation’s migrant agriculture workforce.
He comes from a well-known family that has farmed the Yakima area for three generations. His father, Irv Newhouse, was a longtime legislator and skilled negotiator who served Central Washington residents in Olympia from 1965 until 1998. He died in 2001.
Earlier this year, Newhouse and a group of four Western state Republicans representatives opposed a provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that would have sold off millions of acres of public lands. He also fought in favor of preserving clean energy tax credits for nuclear power in that same legislation.
“His focus in the ‘other Washington’ has always been on supporting this Washington’s farmers, ranchers and agricultural communities. In turn, those communities have always respected and supported him,” said Washington State Republican Party Chair Jim Walsh.
The state party will decide, as a body, next year whether to make an endorsement in the 4th Congressional District, Walsh said.
U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene, who served alongside Newhouse in both Congress and at the state Capitol, said he has “always brought a principled commitment to public service.”
“I’m grateful to call him a colleague and friend all these years. I wish him the best in what comes next,” she said in a statement.
This story was originally published December 17, 2025 at 11:39 AM.
