Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) announced today that he will not seek re-election in the 2026 midterms.
“I am announcing today that I will not seek reelection to the U.S. House of Representatives. Serving the Fourth 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,” Newhouse stated in a message posted on X.
Newhouse was one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach President Trump after January 6, 2021.
He represents a safe red seat and narrowly defeated a Trump-backed GOP challenger in the general election last year by six percentage points. The candidate he defeated, Jerrod Sessler, is running again for the 2026 district seat. Sessler, a businessman and former NASCAR driver who served as a Navy veteran, attended President Trump’s speech on January 6, 2021, but did not enter the Capitol that day.
Sessler has defended Jan. 6 rioters, including those prosecuted and pardoned by the president for their actions at the Capitol on January 6, 2021. He referred to them as “innocent Americans” and has spread debunked conspiracy theories about the 2020 presidential election.
Newhouse’s retirement leaves Rep. David Valadao (R-Calif.) as the only remaining House Republican who voted to impeach Trump serving after November’s election. However, Valadao faces a tough reelection in a battleground district. On the Senate side, where many who voted to convict Trump have already left or announced plans to retire, GOP Sens. Bill Cassidy (La.) and Susan Collins (Maine) are facing competitive races this cycle. Should they lose their seats, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) would become the only GOP senator who voted against Trump remaining.
42 members of Congress — including 23 Republicans and 19 Democrats — have decided not to run for reelection next year, excluding Newhouse.