Rep. Dan Newhouse, a Washington Republican who became a target inside his own party after voting to impeach Donald Trump following the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, announced on December 17, 2025 that he will not seek reelection in 2026. (Axios)
Newhouse’s decision instantly turns Washington’s 4th Congressional District—a reliably conservative, agriculture-heavy seat spanning central Washington—into an open-seat brawl for 2026. (Spokesman-Review) It also lands amid growing public signs of Republican friction with the White House, including a striking warning from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene that Trump’s grip on the party is loosening—“the dam is breaking,” she said in a CNN interview. (The Washington Post)
A rare impeachment vote—and the political pressure that followed
Newhouse is one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump in 2021. Today, only Newhouse and Rep. David Valadao remain from that group; the rest either lost primaries or retired as Trump’s influence reshaped GOP politics. (Axios)
In his announcement, Newhouse said he would remain in office through the end of his term and argued that central Washington would have “qualified and serious people” ready to carry the seat forward. (Axios)
Local reporting also underscores how crowded the early field could become. As of the announcement, three candidates had already filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to run: Jerrod Sessler (a Republican who narrowly lost to Newhouse in 2024), John Duresky (a Democrat and Air Force veteran), and Wesley Meier (a Republican first-time candidate). Washington’s “top-two” system means the top two finishers in the August primary—regardless of party—advance to the November general election. (Spokesman-Review)
Newhouse’s retirement is also part of a bigger churn: he became the 44th House member to announce plans to leave Congress “next year,” according to The Spokesman-Review—an unusually high number for this point in the cycle. (Spokesman-Review)
Greene: Republicans are starting to defy Trump more openly
The timing matters. On December 17, The Washington Post reported on Greene’s comments to CNN, where she argued that Republicans are beginning to “break” with Trump as the 2026 campaign season ramps up. (The Washington Post)
Greene pointed to multiple recent flashpoints:
- 13 House Republicans voting with Democrats to overturn Trump’s executive order on collective bargaining, and
- Indiana Republicans rejecting a Trump-backed redistricting push—both, she argued, signs that lawmakers are prioritizing their own political survival. (The Washington Post)
Greene also criticized Trump’s response to the killing of filmmaker Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer Reiner, calling the president’s comments “classless.” (The Washington Post)
Notably, Greene herself is in the process of leaving Congress: she announced she would resign effective January 5 (per the Post), and Axios described her as one of several Trump-skeptic or newly critical Republicans stepping aside. (The Washington Post)
The broader retirement drumbeat
Newhouse isn’t the only Republican stepping back. The retirement chatter has been fueled by a steady trickle of exits and aborted plans for 2026. For example, the AP reported that Rep. Elise Stefanik said on December 19, 2025 that she is suspending her New York governor campaign and will not seek reelection to the House. (AP News)
Each departure changes the 2026 map in small but meaningful ways—especially for Republicans trying to protect a House majority while navigating internal disagreements over strategy, messaging, and Trump’s continuing dominance in the party.
What happens next in Washington’s 4th
For Newhouse, the decision closes a long chapter in which he often positioned himself as a conservative pragmatist—strong on agriculture issues and willing to work across the aisle—while absorbing recurring blowback from pro-Trump factions at home. (Spokesman-Review)
For Republicans, it sets up a new test: can a safe-red seat transition smoothly while the party wrestles with the broader question Greene raised on national television—whether GOP lawmakers are starting to act like Trump’s influence is no longer absolute?
