Amanda McKinney and John Duresky will face each other in November for Washington's 4th Congressional District, after topping a 13-candidate primary field and advancing under the state's top-two election system.
The race decides who replaces U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse, a Republican who announced in December he would not seek re-election, opening a seat in a district that has reliably elected Republicans for decades.
McKinney, a Yakima County commissioner, led the primary field. President Trump endorsed her campaign, giving her the backing of the party's national leadership heading into the fall.
Duresky, an Air Force veteran and former government employee, finished second with 30.8 percent of the vote. He now faces the challenge of winning a district that has consistently favored Republicans.
The 4th District stretches across rural, conservative eastern Washington, with an economy built around agriculture and energy production. Latino residents make up more than 40 percent of the district's population.
Trump's endorsement of McKinney puts her in a strong position with Republican voters and reflects the pull of national party figures in down-ballot races.
The primary results also showed the limits of a more moderate Republican pitch. Matt Boehnke, a Republican candidate seen as closer in style to the retiring Newhouse, failed to advance—a sign that voters in the 4th are favoring candidates aligned with the conservative wing of the party.
Duresky's second-place finish in a district this red suggests Democrats see an opening, but he will need to turn out voters across a wide, largely rural geography to close the gap in November.
