Trump’s pick to replace Newhouse won’t address the elephant in the room
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Amanda McKinney declined to grade Rep. Dan Newhouse during Tri‑City Herald interviews.
- She endorsed Newhouse in his 2024 reelection but later said she sought to 'retire him'.
- The Aug. 4 jungle primary for Washington’s 4th District lists 11 registered candidates.
Yakima Republican Amanda McKinney is keeping tight-lipped about U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse’s tenure as she faces a competitive primary to replace him in Washington’s most conservative-leaning congressional district.
The small business owner and former career mortgage banker is seen as a frontrunner in the race for Washington’s 4th Congressional District, but declined in a pair of interviews with the Tri-City Herald to voice her thoughts on the six-term representative.
It’s a likely strategic move as she aims to build name recognition outside of Yakima and distance herself from someone who she previously backed.
But it also stands in contrast to how other candidates have spoken about the congressman during town halls, campaign pit stops and party meetings.
“Amanda has been clear that she’s running to offer her own vision for Central Washington, not to serve as a commentator on other elected officials,” said Freddy Ortiz, McKinney’s campaign manager, in a statement.
“She respects public service, but this campaign is focused on the future and the issues that matter most to the families, farmers, ranchers, and small businesses of Washington’s 4th District. Voters deserve to know what Amanda will do in Congress, and that’s where her focus remains,” he continued.
Conflicting statements over her support for Newhouse — one of the last two House Republicans left who voted in 2021 to impeach President Donald Trump over his actions in the Jan. 6 insurrection — has also raised some eyebrows.
McKinney gave a resounding endorsement of him during his 2024 reelection bid, saying in a short advertisement that “Dan Newhouse delivers.” At the same time she also took aim at his opponent Republican Jerrod Sessler, painting him as a carpetbagger.
But after he announced in December plans to leave Congress, McKinney told a crowd at a conservative event that she knew she “needed to find a way to retire him” for his impeachment vote.
“I don’t think it’s a mix-up,” she said in April in response to the conflicting statements, noting that she had considered a congressional run for many years and had received community support to do so.
But when asked during that interview to grade Newhouse’s tenure in Congress, McKinney declined and said that she would represent the district “as my own person.”
“I don’t have a grade for him,” said the second-term Yakima County commissioner.
McKinney — who’s earned the endorsement of Trump for the 2026 midterms — shirked off a similar question last month during a wide-ranging interview with the Herald where she laid out her priorities on Hanford nuclear site funding, Snake River dams, agricultural investments and water issues.
When asked if she felt Newhouse had done a good job at communicating with constituents, she said she would “not comment on current officeholders.”
Candidate thoughts on Newhouse
McKinney’s unwillingness to chat about Newhouse stands in contrast to her opponents, many of whom have outspokenly disapproved of Newhouse’s nearly 12 years in Congress.
Sessler, who’s mounting his third run for the seat, has said that Newhouse is out of touch with the district, and said this week that “it would be a compliment to say he gets an F.”
“He’s just weak, and I think his biggest failure is his inability to communicate,” Sessler told the Herald.
John Duresky, of West Richland — the lone Democrat in the race — has also been critical of Newhouse.
He pointed to Newhouse’s unwillingness to stand up to the Trump administration’s DOGE cuts and for voting in favor of H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, as reasons he jumped into the race.
But Republican Matt Boehnke, of Kennewick, struck a different tone when asked about Newhouse, saying he was a “dedicated and effective advocate” for the region.
“His leadership, commitment to public service, and focus on delivering results have left a lasting impact on Central Washington,” Boehnke said in a Tuesday statement.
“We are grateful for his service, and I hope to carry on his legacy by continuing to be a strong voice for the people of Central Washington in Washington, D.C.,” he said.
Competitive primary for Central WA
Peter Graves, a Puget Sound-based strategic advisor for 76 Group, says it’s not uncommon for candidates to align their messaging with how voters are feeling about the incumbent.
McKinney, he says, likely wants to make this race about the president’s pick and what she has done for Yakima County rather than what Newhouse has accomplished.
It wouldn’t be advantageous for a candidate to paint themselves as the “heir apparent” in a year when Congress’ favorability is so low, he said.
“The race for his successor, on Republican primary voter’s minds, is more going to be about who’s going to work more closely with the White House,” he said.
Trump is already more popular with Central Washington voters than Newhouse is.
During the 2024 general election, the last time both candidates were on the ballot together, Trump outperformed Newhouse by 6.6 percentage points, albeit in different races.
Newhouse still bested Sessler in that race to win reelection by 5.9 percentage points, narrowly defeating the Trump-backed candidate.
But Graves said all eyes will be on McKinney this summer to see how far she can take her candidacy with Trump’s blessing. The Aug. 4 jungle primary will be crowded with 11 candidates registered to run for the 4th Congressional District. Six of them state “Republican” as their party preference.
The MAGA president has overwhelmingly notched wins with his endorsed candidates so far this midterm election season, though his streak broke this week after his preferred gubernatorial candidate in Iowa faltered.
But Graves said neither Sessler nor Boehnke should be taken for granted.
Sessler has built up solid grassroots support over the past five years of campaigning that could be hard for McKinney to peel off, and Boehnke could establish a niche of moderate support that buoys him past the primary.
Washington’s 4th Congressional District stretches from the U.S.-Canada border down to Oregon.
It encompasses the Tri-Cities, Yakima, Yakama Indian Reservation, East Wenatchee, Omak and Goldendale. It’s also the state’s most conservative-leaning district. In the 2024 presidential election, Trump won the district over former Vice President Kamala Harris by nearly 21 percentage points. Washington state’s primary will be held Aug. 4.
The top-two candidates who receive the most votes will move on to the Nov. 3 general election.
