Newhouse leads in bid to advance to Washington's general election

Incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse held a lead in his bid to advance to the November ballot for Washington state's 4th Congressional District after Tuesday's top-two primary ballot counts.

State of play: Newhouse and Doug White — the lone Democrat in the race — clung to the top two spots over candidate Loren Culp, who had the backing of former President Trump.

• The three candidates collectively split three quarters of the vote Tuesday evening, as of 9pm, to distance themselves from a crowded primary in a contest that serves as a test of the former president's influence in central Washington.

By the numbers: Newhouse captured 27.2% of the vote Tuesday, with White grabbing nearly 26%; Culp was third with nearly 22%.

• Culp, the former Republic police chief and 2020 GOP candidate for Washington governor, was Trump's pick for the race.
• Jerrod Sessler, a former NASCAR driver from Prosser who won endorsements from Trump confidants, Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn and Roger Stone, ran a distant fourth Tuesday with less than 11% of the vote.

Why it matters: Newhouse and White's leads in the early counts signal that Trump's influence may be waning among voters in what's one of Washington's most reliably conservative Congressional districts.

Zoom out: A late infusion of PAC money from unknown donors on ads targeting Culp may have benefited Newhouse and White in the final weeks of the campaign.

Background: Newhouse, a four-term incumbent and Sunnyside farmer, was among 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Trump after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

• He faced six Republican challengers and White, a Democrat, in his reelection bid.

Context: Newhouse, who first won the seat in 2014, had garnered at least 57% of the vote in his past three primaries before coasting to reelection in November.

What's next: Votes will be counted in Washington's mail-in primary in the coming hours and days, with the top two vote-getters advancing to November's election.

Editor's note: This story is breaking. Check back for more details.