House incumbent targeted by Trump faces tough primary in WA

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — As one of two Republican members of Congress from Washington to have voted to impeach former President Donald Trump, Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler faces one of her toughest primaries since she was first elected to represent the southwest region of the state in 2010.

The number of Republicans in the race — including a former Green Beret endorsed by Trump — and the anger that the six-term congresswoman sparked among some in her party with her impeachment vote means Herrera Beutler could face a scenario that seemed unfathomable in her previous re-election bids: not making it through the primary.

“For me and my team and the way we look at it, it’s another tough election,” Herrera Beutler told The Associated Press. “I’m not changing course. I’m still the same Republican I’ve always been.”

Under Washington’s primary system, the top two vote getters in each race Aug. 2 advance to the November election, regardless of party. Washington is a vote by mail state, and voters don’t have to declare a party affiliation.

Rep. Dan Newhouse, a four-term congressman in the 4th Congressional District, is the other Washington state member of Congress who has drawn Republican challengers, including one endorsed by Trump, due to his vote.

Perhaps the best known outside candidate in Newhouse’s intraparty feud is Loren Culp, a former small town police chief who lost the 2020 governor’s race to Democrat Jay Inslee but refused to concede. He won Trump’s endorsement in February, but has lagged other candidates in reported fundraising figures.

Due to the nature of the top-two primary, the vote in the 3rd Congressional District could cut in a variety of ways, including the incumbent advancing to the general election against a fellow Republican or against a Democratic challenger...