Washington's 5th Congressional District election, 2026 (August 4 top-two primary)

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2024
Washington's 5th Congressional District
Ballotpedia Election Coverage Badge.png
Top-two primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: May 8, 2026
Primary: August 4, 2026
General: November 3, 2026
How to vote
Poll times:

Poll opening hours vary; close at 8 p.m. (most voting done by mail)
Voting in Washington

Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Republican
DDHQ and The Hill: Pending
Inside Elections: Solid Republican
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds
U.S. House battlegrounds
Federal and state primary competitiveness
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026
See also
Washington's 5th Congressional District
1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th
Washington elections, 2026
U.S. Congress elections, 2026
U.S. Senate elections, 2026
U.S. House elections, 2026

A top-two primary takes place on August 4, 2026, in Washington's 5th Congressional District to determine which two candidates will run in the district's general election on November 3, 2026.

Candidate filing deadline Primary election General election
May 8, 2026
August 4, 2026
November 3, 2026



Washington uses a top-two primary system, in which all candidates appear on the same ballot, for congressional and state-level elections. The top two vote-getters move on to the general election, regardless of their party affiliation. In states that do not use a top-two system, all parties are usually able to put forward a candidate for the general election if they choose to.[1][2]

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

This page focuses on Washington's 5th Congressional District's top-two primary. For more in-depth information on the district's general election, see the following page:

Candidates and election results

Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:

  • Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
  • Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for U.S. House Washington District 5

The following candidates are running in the primary for U.S. House Washington District 5 on August 4, 2026.


Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Image of Bajun Mavalwalla

WebsiteFacebook

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No


Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.


The Bill of Rights is under attack in America. This is not academic- nor is it just this administration attacking "democrat cities" - it is happening right here in Eastern Washington. My son was arrested for exercising his 1st Amendment rights. Pam Bondi plowed through 3 US attorneys in 33 days in Spokane and illegally appointed Pete Serrano who had never prosecuted a case in his life. She regularly violates the 4th, 5th, and 6th Amendment rights of Americans. This administration has openly said they want to ban certain groups they don't like from owning guns in violation of the 2nd Amendment. After killing an American citizen with a concealed carry permit – they said citizens don’t have a right to carry.


Veterans' Rights. Over 9% of our district is made up of veterans. There are two VA hospitals in our district, and both the Walla Walla and Spokane VAs are being gutted without our newly minted Congressman so much as saying a word against these cuts. 4 veterans have died as a result of the Cerner System alone - and now 137 employees have been dismissed without a plan. Most of our Vietnam era veterans are too old to make long drives to get regular checks, blood draws, or urine samples - yet the VA's satellite offices in Colville and Republic were closed along with the ER in Spokane. These veterans have spouses and children that represent a far greater number that depend upon the promised and highly specialized care of the VA.


I support a strong, NON-PARTISAN, military force. I have served on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan. I have served as an enlisted man for 17 years and as an officer for my last 8 years. And I served in the Regular Army for 4 years and 22 years in the National Guard - the guardrails between the police and the military are critical to national security and a vibrant democracy. America's greatest alliance, NATO, is now at risk which will all but hand power to Russia they will further abuse. At the same time we are squandering our leverage against the rise of China with short-sighted conflicts that have no longer term goals. Congress is responsible to provide checks and balances on presidential powers - not to be a rubber stamp.

Image of David Womack

WebsiteFacebookX

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Submitted Biography "I am a retired USAF Colonel, Healthcare Leader, and Community Builder. My wife and I lived on Fairchild AFB, in Colfax, and now we live in Walla Walla. I know the entire district and understand the local issues. I've served others throughout my life and led large, complex organizations with budgets in the hundreds of millions. I've solved tough problems and delivered real results. At Fairchild, I was the Medical Group Commander responsible for the healthcare of 30,000 beneficiaries. After the Air Force, I ran two rural hospitals - one in Illinois, and I was the CEO of Whitman Hospital in Colfax. I served as a Senior Vice President for Kaiser Permanente where I led a team of 1100 staff and 200 doctors to care for 115,000 members. At the same time, I was the Chairman of an Ethics Institute and an Economic Development Corporation that brought 4000 new jobs into the community. Since moving to Walla Walla, I've served as the Board President for the Walla Walla Homeless Alliance, and as a member of the city's Sustainability Committee, my Church Council, and Rotary. I am Precinct Committee Officer I earned a master's degree from Baylor University in Healthcare Administration, and a master's from the Air Force War College in Strategic Studies. My bachelor's degree is from Oral Roberts University with double majors in Business and Communications. I completed the Executive Leadership Program at the Harvard School of Business."


Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.


I will work to build an economy that works for everyone - where incomes support families, there is affordable housing and childcare, and working people can plan for a secure retirement. This includes active support for rural communities and agriculture by protecting family farm viability, promoting the next generation of farmers, seeking long-term fair trade agreements, and investing in crop and climate research.


I will work to create a rational, national health policy that provides coverage for all, emphasizes prevention and wellbeing, sustains urban and rural hospitals, invests in research and the next generation of healthcare workers.


I will protect our rights and strive to ensure our safety by ensuring Congress does it oversight duty of the Executive Branch, advocating for a strong defensive (not offensive) military, effective border control with humane enforcement, and creating a pathway to citizenship for nonviolent undocumented immigrants.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Washington

Election information in Washington: Aug. 4, 2026, election.

What is the voter registration deadline?

  • In-person: Aug. 4, 2026
  • By mail: Received by July 27, 2026
  • Online: July 27, 2026

Is absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

N/A

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

  • In-person: N/A
  • By mail: N/A by N/A
  • Online: N/A

What is the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

  • In-person: Aug. 4, 2026
  • By mail: Postmarked by Aug. 4, 2026

Is early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What are the early voting start and end dates?

July 17, 2026 to Aug. 4, 2026

Are all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, is a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When are polls open on Election Day?

Varies - 8:00 p.m. (PT)

Campaign finance

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Michael Baumgartner Republican Party $1,040,227 $505,981 $725,811 As of December 31, 2025
Carmela Conroy Democratic Party $221,060 $96,035 $138,167 As of December 31, 2025
Kevin Fagan Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Bajun Mavalwalla Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Anthony Whisenhunt Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
David Womack Democratic Party $31,821 $4,603 $27,218 As of December 31, 2025
Anthony Jensen Republican Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Nate Powell No party preference $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Aaron Croft Independent $6,710 $1,037 $5,662 As of December 31, 2025
Ann Marie Danimus Independent $4,082 $3,917 $189 As of December 31, 2025

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2026. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee."
** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.
*** Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.

District analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about voter composition, past elections, and demographics in both the district and the state.

  • District map - A map of the district in place for the election.
  • Competitiveness - Information about the competitiveness of 2026 U.S. House elections in the state.
  • Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the district and the state.
  • State party control - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.


Below is the district map in place for this election. Click the map below to enlarge it.

2023_01_03_wa_congressional_district_05.jpg
See also: Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2026
Information about competitiveness will be added here as it becomes available.

Partisan Voter Index

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Heading into the 2026 elections, based on results from the 2024 and 2020 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district is R+5. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 5 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Washington's 5th the 182nd most Republican district nationally.[3]

2020 presidential election results

The table below shows what the vote in the 2024 presidential election was in this district. The presidential election data was compiled by The Downballot.

2024 presidential results in Washington's 5th Congressional District
Kamala Harris Democratic PartyDonald Trump Republican Party
43.0%54.0%

Presidential voting history

See also: Presidential election in Washington, 2024

Washington presidential election results (1900-2024)

  • 18 Democratic wins
  • 13 Republican wins
  • 1 other win
Year 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024
Winning Party R R R P[4] D R R R D D D D D R R R D D R R R R D D D D D D D D D D
See also: Party control of Washington state government

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of Washington's congressional delegation as of October 2025.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Washington
Party U.S. Senate U.S. House Total
Democratic 2 8 10
Republican 0 2 2
Independent 0 0 0
Vacancies 0 0 0
Total 2 10 12

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in Washington's top four state executive offices as of October 2025.

State executive officials in Washington, October 2025
OfficeOfficeholder
GovernorDemocratic Party Bob Ferguson
Lieutenant GovernorDemocratic Party Denny Heck
Secretary of StateDemocratic Party Steve Hobbs
Attorney GeneralDemocratic Party Nick Brown

State legislature

Washington State Senate

Party As of October 2025
     Democratic Party 30
     Republican Party 19
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 49

Washington House of Representatives

Party As of October 2025
     Democratic Party 59
     Republican Party 39
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 98

Trifecta control

Washington Party Control: 1992-2025
Nineteen years of Democratic trifectas  •  No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Governor D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D
Senate R D D D D R R D D D D R R D D D D D D D D R R R R R[5] D D D D D D D D
House D D D R R R R S S S D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D

Ballot access

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Washington in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Washington, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2026
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Washington U.S. House All candidates 1,740 $1,740.00 5/8/2026 Source

See also

External links

Footnotes


Senators
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
Democratic Party (10)
Republican Party (2)