SPOKANE, Wash. – Republican Michael Baumgartner will succeed Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R) as eastern Washington’s representative in Congress.
The win maintains Republican control over a seat that has remained in the hands of eastern Washington’s GOP since 1995.
Washington’s 5th Congressional District holds a unique place in political history. is the only US House Speaker ever to have been unseated by his district.
His decades-long career of public service to the Evergreen State came to an end when a major funding push from the National Rifle Administration
McMorris Rodgers took over the 5th District seat in 2005, and continued
Baumgartner is poised to continue this streak, as his campaign has emphasized and The win is a significant loss for eastern Washington Democrats, given that this was the first race since 2004 in which the Republican candidate did not have incumbency advantage.
While his Democratic opponent won’t be heading to the US Congress in January, that doesn’t necessarily mean her influence will wane in the county Democratic Party. Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown and likely incoming State House member Natasha Hill both mounted unsuccessful campaigns against McMorris Rodgers before assuming their respective positions.
