DISAPPEARING DISSENTERS

GOP Lawmaker Who Impeached Trump Is Fleeing Congress

The Washington congressman will not seek re-election in 2026.

One of the last remaining GOP congress members who voted to impeach Donald Trump is headed out the door.

Rep. Dan Newhouse announced Wednesday morning that he will not seek re-election in his home state of Washington next year, leaving California Rep. David Valadao as the last of the 10 Republicans who voted to impeach the former president over his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

Newhouse, who has represented Central Washington for more than a decade, wrote in a post on X that his decision “comes with no reservations or remorse, only gratitude.”

“After over 25 years of public service, including more than a decade in the House, I am grateful to the Washingtonians who put their faith in me, as well as the colleagues I have served with on both sides of the aisle,” the 70-year-old shared with his 26,000 followers.

Newhouse, who narrowly fended off a Trump-backed challenger in 2024, expressed confidence that there are “now qualified and serious people” interested in his seat.

“Central Washington will have a strong, capable leader to whom I can pass the torch,” he wrote.

Trump repeatedly slammed Newhouse as “weak and pathetic” during the congressman’s 2024 re-election campaign, throwing his support behind Jerrod Sessler in the race for what is considered Washington’s reddest district.

“Jerrod Sessler is a fantastic candidate and will be a GREAT Congressman for Washington State’s 4th Congressional District,” Trump wrote on Truth Social at the time.

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“He is running against a weak and pathetic RINO named Newhouse, who voted to, for no reason, Impeach me. Newhouse has to go!”

Newhouse ultimately prevailed, winning 53 percent of the vote to Sessler’s 47 percent, the New York Times reported.

Valadao, 48, is also expected to face a difficult re-election fight in 2026, as Democrats aim to flip his seat back to blue.

The original 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Trump faced significant political fallout for breaking with the party. Four retired rather than seek re-election, while another four—including former Rep. Liz Cheney—lost their seats in primaries to Trump-backed challengers.

Newhouse defended his impeachment vote in a statement shortly after the Jan. 6 attack, asserting that “Turning a blind eye to this brutal assault on our Republic is not an option.”

“A vote against this impeachment is a vote to validate the unacceptable violence we witnessed in our nation’s capital. It is also a vote to condone President Trump’s inaction,” Newhouse wrote at the time. “He did not strongly condemn the attack nor did he call in reinforcements when our officers were overwhelmed. Our country needed a leader, and President Trump failed to fulfill his oath of office.”

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The ranks of Republican senators who voted to impeach Trump are also thinning. Of the seven, Sens. Bill Cassidy and Susan Collins are bracing for tough re-election fights, Politico reported. If both lose, Sen. Lisa Murkowski would be the last GOP senator who broke with Trump in office.

The Daily Beast has reached out to representatives for Newhouse and the White House for comment.

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Laura EspositoBreaking News Reporter

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