Michael Baumgartner

Two years ago Democrat Carmela Conroy was defeated by Michael Baumgartner for a seat in Congress in the November election. On Tuesday, she won enough support for a rematch this fall.

The former diplomat and deputy prosecutor clinched victory quickly after polls closed Tuesday night – outpacing third place finisher Nate Powell, an independent, by 6.7 percentage points in unofficial tallies.

Baumgartner, the sole Republican in the 5th Congressional race, led the pack with 48% with all 12 counties in the Eastern Washington district reporting Tuesday night. He was followed by Conroy, a former diplomat, with 20.8%. The only other candidate to poll above 5% was independent Nate Powell, who initially received 14.4%.

At his campaign headquarters in downtown Spokane Baumgartner said he was “thrilled” with the result.

“Given that it is the same opponent that I beat by 20% last year, I think we’re gonna be in a strong position in the general election,” he said.

Conroy was squarely defeated by Baumgartner in 2024, who won with just over 60% of the vote in the general election. Conroy immediately announced her comeback upon losing to the Republican and has been running against him for much of the past two years.

While she pitched herself as a moderate in the primary two years ago, she has taken a much more progressive slant in this race. She supports a $16 federal minimum wage, federally required paid-time off and paid sick leave, and a universal, single-payer healthcare system.

That he is under 50% of the vote is a welcoming sign for those who oppose Baumgartner, but it may not be enough. During President Trump’s first term Democrats made a concerted effort to topple Republican incumbent Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers. In the two-woman primary fight McMorris-Rogers only received 49.3% of the vote against Mayor Lisa Brown.

Amid historic unpopularity of President Donald Trump and a national blue wave, Democrats hoped an encouraging primary result would translate to a surprise upset in the fall. McMorris Rodgers went on to win the 2018 general election by nearly 10 percentage points.

The national political environment is remarkably similar in 2026. President Trump is historically unpopular, with many polls showing him below 35% approval nationwide. Democrats nationally are hopeful they can retake a House majority and have an outside chance at flipping the Senate.

A Republican has comfortably held the seat since former Democratic House Speaker Tom Foleywas defeated in 1994.

The sprawling 5th Congressional District includes Spokane, Whitman, Stevens, Walla Walla, Ferry, Pend Oreille, Lincoln, Columbia, Garfield and Asotin counties, as well as parts of Adam and Franklin counties.