Why 20-year Central WA congressman is backing Boehnke for 4th District
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- Doc Hastings formally endorsed Matt Boehnke for the 4th Congressional District seat.
- Matt Boehnke filed paperwork Monday in Kennewick to run for Congress.
- Amanda McKinney, who leads WA 04 fundraising, also filed to run on Monday.
There was an air of Tri-Cities pride for Matt Boehnke on Monday morning.
As the three-term state lawmaker filed paperwork at the Benton County Elections Center to officially run for Congress, he thought about the city and people that built him up.
So when it came to making one of the biggest political decisions of his life, he knew it had to be done in Kennewick — and in the presence of a retired congressman.
“The big piece is it’s a tradition, that we get back to the foundation of what America’s about — it’s for the people, of the people, by the people. I knew this place was dirt and tumbleweeds when I was growing up here,” he said of the Columbia Center-area campus.
The filing window for the midterm elections opened Monday for candidates seeking public office in Washington state. In Benton and Franklin counties, there are dozens of seats up for election — from county offices on up to congressional ones.
Boehnke and an intimate posse of family and supporters showed up at 9:30 to watch him file. Dressed in a black suit and a red tie — affixed with a U.S. Army tie clip he got while serving in Iraq — the cybersecurity and computer science professor submitted his paperwork on a tablet computer provided by the elections center.
Retired U.S. Rep. Doc Hastings — the Pasco Republican who represented Central Washington in Congress between 1995-2015 — formally endorsed Boehnke for the seat and watched on as he filed.
He was joined by members of the UA Local 598 Plumbers and Pipefitters, who have backed Boehnke since his days on the Kennewick City Council.
Boehnke is a “battle-tested” conservative interested in pragmatic policy solutions. He says he wants to build off the legacy of Hastings and retiring Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Sunnyside, and use his cybersecurity background to solve Central Washington and the nation’s most pressing issues, including those related to artificial intelligence and veterans issues.
“I think it’s incredible,” Boehnke, 58, said of Hastings’ support.
“It’s very humbling, first and foremost. But to have the last two sitting congressmen really backing my campaign and offering their support means a lot... Locally, people know a name like Doc Hastings, and it resonates a lot more than — almost even than — a sitting president,” he continued.
Newhouse has yet to endorse in the race. Boehnke told the Tri-City Herald that Newhouse has contributed resources to his campaign, but he understands that he’s “hanging on for the right time and right place” to endorse in the race. Boehnke was Newhouse’s special guest for Trump’s February State of the Union address.
Boehnke will face off against Amanda McKinney, the Yakima County commissioner and mortgage banker who has the endorsements of President Donald Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson, in the Aug. 4 jungle primary.
So far, McKinney is the runaway fundraising frontrunner in the race. She bested him in first-quarter fundraising, bringing in $1 for every 12 cents he raised.
The two candidates who receive the most votes, regardless of political party, will move on to the Nov. 3 general election.
On Monday, McKinney, West Richland Democrat John Duresky, and independent Jacek Kobiesa also filed to run for Newhouse’s seat. Prosser Republican Jerrod Sessler has said he intends to run a third time for the position.
Tri-Cities GOP divide
Hastings, 85, said Boehnke is the right fit due to his experience both as an Army helicopter pilot and for his tenure in the Washington Legislature working “within the system.”
There is some “parochial pride” to having a strong Tri-Cities Republican in the race, but Hastings said at the end of the day Boehnke’s got the right resume to serve the district, noting its sprawl and diverse constituency.
“I just think he’s the best candidate, so I’m happy to endorse him,” Hastings said.
Tri-City political leaders do appear split when it comes to the race.
While Boehnke has netted the support from three Tri-City mayors — West Richland’s Fred Brink, Pasco’s Charles Grimm and Richland’s Theresa Richardson — his hometown mayor, Jason McShane, has endorsed McKinney.
Similarly, Benton County commissioners Jerome Delvin and Will McKay have backed McKinney. But Boehnke has the support of Franklin County Commissioner Steve Bauman, the Lampson family, and even Yakima County Commissioner LaDon Linde.
Boehnke doesn’t believe there’s much of a split in support.
He says his campaign is getting plenty of support from leaders, especially from those Central Washington Republicans who he’s worked closely with. His website touts the endorsements of more than a dozen legislators.
“As the most experienced candidate, I think it still shows that work matters... and that it shows when those endorsements come out,” he said. “When you look around the table — from the counties, the cities and even the nonprofits and other leaders in the community — you see them on my website a lot more. I think it really showcases that pride in the Tri-Cities.”
This story was originally published May 4, 2026 at 4:52 PM.
