Candidates are packing the races for Congress in Central, Eastern WA
Congressional races east of the Cascade Mountains have become stacked with candidates as filing week enters the home stretch.
John C. Hughs, a Lind Republican, and Yakima independent Favian Valencia registered to run for Washington’s 4th Congressional District on Thursday, bringing the tally of candidates looking to succeed U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse up to eight.
Freshman U.S. Rep. Michael Baumgartner received two more challengers — Spokane Democrat Kevin Fagan and Spokane independent Kyle Ursey — bringing the total to eight.
Four of those challengers are Democrats hoping to unseat the Spokane Republican.
Talesha Sams filed to run for Benton County’s District Court Judge 1 seat. She joins Michael “Mike” Rio in that race.
Deadline to file to run for public office this year is 5 p.m. Friday. Candidates must be a registered voter in the district they filed for, pay a filing fee amounting to 1% of the office’s annual salary and provide a valid email address.
The Washington Secretary of State’s Office administers federal and state public offices, and county elections offices organize all others.
There are more than three dozen seats up for election this year in Benton and Franklin counties.
The Aug. 4 jungle primary will whittle the field of candidates down to two with the most votes, who will face off in the Nov. 3 general election. Most winners will take office in January 2027.
Here are some of the hottest primary races in the Mid-Columbia
Kennewick board members
Two Kennewick School Board leaders are eyeing higher office in this year’s election — and at least one of them plans to stay on if he wins a position in the state Legislature.
School board President Gabe Galbraith and Vice President Micah Valentine handily won reelection to the school board last year, and this week filed to run for two more elected positions.
Galbraith is running for the 8th Legislative District’s open Senate seat, while Valentine is seeking the District 2 position on the Benton PUD Commission currently held by Jeff Hall.
Galbraith has served on the school board for nearly five years. He told the Tri-City Herald that he’s since learned that the power to make big decisions in education lie with the Legislature.
State Sen. Matt Boehnke, the current seat holder, is running for Congress.
“I feel like I’ve done an excellent job here, have built a lot of support, and feel I’m the right representative to go up and represent the 8th,” Galbraith said.
He points to the Kennewick School District’s budget, which is the healthiest in the greater Tri-Cities region. Under Galbraith’s tenure, the board also hired a new superintendent, approved a new elementary safety officer program and took a stand to keep “boys out of girls’ sports.”
More recently, the board passed a policy that limits what kinds of non-U.S. flags can be displayed in the classroom.
“Over the last five years we also rebuilt community trust… We’ve been able to reestablish that, and I think the levy passing is proof of that,” he said.
If elected to the Legislature, Galbraith said he “100%” plans to stay on the school board, but would step down from any leadership positions.
That means he would have to call in remotely to school board meetings while he’s in Olympia. The session runs 60 days on even years, and 105 days on odd years.
“I have no intention of leaving the school board unless there’s a law that restricts that,” he said. “I have no concerns with how effective I can be doing that remotely.”
State Sen. Nikki Torres has filed for the same seat.
Galbraith’s been critical of Torres’ intentions to move into the 8th Legislative District in order to run, and says his values better align with the conservative district.
Both are running as Republicans. In the 2024 presidential election, Donald Trump carried the 8th Legislative District by 24 percentage points over Kamala Harris.
Torres currently serves as the 15th Legislative District’s senator, but had to move after a redistricting lawsuit.
She told the Tri-City Herald that she moved to a new home on Road 64 in Pasco in February to be eligible to run in the 8th District. She said it’s a perfectly reasonable move, and believes voters will choose her experience in this race.
“I ran the first time because I care about the community, and I’m still running because I care about the community,” she said, noting that she’s “spent years showing up for the Tri-Cities” and working toward conservative policies in Olympia.
Both candidates grew up in the Tri-Cities — Galbraith a Kamiakin Brave and Torres a Pasco Bulldog.
Torres is an account executive at Western Governors University, and she is former president of the Tri-Cities Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. She serves as Republican Deputy Floor Leader in the state Senate.
Galbraith works as a security specialist at the Hanford nuclear site, and owns a small business renting bounce houses.
He declined to speak to the Tri-City Herald about his decision to seek a second elected position, saying he would prefer to wait until after filing week is finished.
Pat Tucker of Paterson jumped into the race for the Benton PUD Commission’s District 2 seat, ensuring Valentine has a challenger this season.
Franklin Commissioner
Franklin County Commissioner Clint Didier gained a challenger.
Didier, a Republican, filed for reelection on Wednesday and is being challenged by Joel Prantle, a fellow Republican.
Prantle is the owner of TJ Train Models, and was recently appointed to the Franklin County planning commission.
Richland council
An open seat on the Richland City Council is shaping up as one of the hottest contests on the 2026 Mid-Columbia election calendar.
Richland City Council Pos. 4 is on the ballot after voters elected a candidate who died during the 2025 election cycle. The winner will complete the term voters gave to the late Donald Landsman.
The candidates include Todd Samuel, selected by the current council to serve as an interim member until the election can take place.
Samuel, a group manager at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory said he’s enjoyed his time as an appointed member and is eager to be elected.
“We want to have a government that listens to us and cares about us,” said Samuel, who was selected from a field of 23 applicants in January.
Samuel is currently set to square off against Kyle Saltz, David Tveraas, Ragan Faylor and Mary Lipton in the August primary, though additional candidates could still file. The top two will advance to the general election in November.
Saltz previously ran for city council in 2025, spending much of the campaign season running next to the man he hopes to succeed, Landsman. He lost a close race to incumbent Kurt Maier.
Saltz, a military veteran who works for the Hanford Patrol and various veteran causes as well as the Army Reserve, said he jumped back in out of respect for his friend.
“He stood for integrity, accountability, leadership,” Saltz said. “This is for Donald’s legacy.”
Ragan Faylor is a lifelong resident of Eastern Washington who has lived in Richland for eight years. He owns a real estate appraisal business and has served on the city’s code enforcement board and as an animal control officer.
He took on the latter role after volunteering to help at Tri-Cities Animal Control during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the city of Pasco seized control amid management issues.
Faylor said his experience with animal control and code enforcement have given him strong insights into city government that dovetail with his interest in politics.
He said he is running to represent his fellow “average Joes.”
Lipton is a bioanalytic chemist at the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland. She serves as an adjunct professor at WSU Tri-Cities as well.
A 30+ year resident of Richland, Lipton said she has the time and energy to serve now that her kids are grown.
“Richland is walking a fine line between growth and maintaining its identity” she said. She said she favors a balanced approach and lots of debate as Richland attracts newcomers, including industry.
“I want to be part of the decision-making process that looks at a balanced approach,” she said.
Tveraas did not give a phone number on his filing application and could not be reached by email.
Federal and state offices
U.S. House Washington 4th District
- Amanda McKinney, Republican
- Matt Boehnke, Republican
- John Duresky, Democrat
- Jacek “Jack” Kobiesa, no party preference
- Jerrod Sessler, Republican
- Zac Rossi, no party preference
- John C. Hughs, Republican
- Favian Valencia, independent
U.S. House Washington 5th District
- Michael Baumgartner (incumbent), Republican
- Carmela Conroy, Democrat
- David Womack, Democrat
- Matthew Hayes, independent
- Nate Powell, no party preference
- Ann Marie Danimus, independent
- Bajun Mavalwalla, Democrat
- Kevin Fagan, Democrat
- Kyle Ursey, independent
Washington Legislature — District 8
State Rep. Position 1
- Stephanie Barnard (incumbent), Republican
State Rep. Position 2
- April Connors, (incumbent), Republican
State Senator
- Gabe Galbraith, Republican
- Nikki Torres, Republican
Washington Legislature — District 14
State Rep. Position 1
- Chelsea Dimas, Democrat
- Gloria Mendoza (incumbent), Republican
State Rep. Position 2
- Deb Manjarrez (incumbent), Republican
- Ezequiel Morfin, Democrat
- Tony Sandoval, Democrat
Washington Legislature — District 15
State Rep. Position 1
- Chris Corry (incumbent), Republican
State Rep. Position 2
- Reedy Berg, Republican
- Liz Hallock, No Kings Party
- Chase Foster, Republican
State Senator
- Jeremie Dufault, Republican
Washington Legislature — District 16
State Rep. Position 1
- Mark Klicker (incumbent), Republican
State Rep. Position 2
- Skyler Rude (incumbent), Republican
- Derek Sarley, Democrat
Washington Supreme Court
Justice Position 1
- Colleen Melody (incumbent)
- Scott Edwards
- Laura Christensen Colberg
Justice Position 3
- Jaime Michelle Hawk
- Mike Diaz
- David Stevens
Justice Position 4
- Ian Birk
- Sean O’Donnell
Justice Position 5
- Theo Angelis (incumbent)
- Sharonda Amamilo
- Dave Larson
- Greg Miller
Justice Position 7
- Debra Stephens (incumbent)
Court of Appeals, Division 3, District 2
Judge Position 1
- Tyson Hill (incumbent)
Benton County
Assessor
- Bill Spencer (incumbent), Republican
Auditor
- Brenda Chilton (incumbent), Republican
Board of County Commission, District No. 2
- Michael Alvarez (incumbent), Republican
Clerk
- Josie Delvin (incumbent), Republican
Coroner
- William “Bill” Leach (incumbent), Republican
Prosecuting Attorney
- Eric Eisinger (incumbent), Republican
- Julie Long, Republican
Sheriff
- Michael Clark (incumbent), Republican
Treasurer
- Kenneth Spencer Jr. (incumbent), Republican
District Court Judge 1
- Michael “Mike” Rio
- Talesha Sams
District Court Judge 2
- James “Jim” Bell (incumbent)
District Court Judge 3
- Dan Kathren (incumbent)
District Court Judge 4
- Jennifer Johnson
District Court Judge 5
- Jennifer Azure (incumbent)
Public Utility District, Commissioner Pos. 2
- Micah Valentine
- Pat Tucker
Richland City Council, Position 4 (nonpartisan)
- Todd Samuel (appointed)
- David Tveraas
- Kyle Saltz
- Ragan Faylor
- Mary Lipton
Franklin County
Assessor
- John Rosenau (incumbent), Republican
- Chris Hollingsworth, Republican
Auditor
- Matt Beaton (incumbent), Republican
Clerk
- Ruby Ochoa, Republican
Coroner
- Curtis McGary, Republican (incumbent)
County Commission District 3
- Joel Prantle, Republican
- Clint Didier, (incumbent), Republican
Prosecuting Attorney
- Shawn Sant (incumbent), Republican
Sheriff
- Christopher Lee, Republican
- Monty Huber, Republican
- Kohl St. Peter, independent
Treasurer
- Josie Koelzer (incumbent), Republican
District Court Judge
- Trinity Orosco (incumbent)
Port of Pasco, Commissioner District No. 3
- Hans-Joachim Engelke (incumbent)
Public Utility District, District No. 2
- Tim Nies
This story was originally published May 7, 2026 at 7:10 PM.
