Cook Report shifts Herrera Beutler’s seat toward Democrats after primary loss

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report shifted its rating for Washington’s 3rd Congressional District toward Democrats after a Republican who supported impeaching former President Trump conceded the primary, making a Trump-backed candidate poised to represent the GOP on the ballot in November.

Cook Political Report changed its rating from “Solid Republican” to “Lean Republican” on Wednesday after incumbent Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-Wash.) conceded the race on Tuesday night.

Washington state held its contest through a jungle primary system, meaning the top two candidates move on to the general election regardless of party affiliation.

Joe Kent, a Republican and former Green Beret endorsed by Trump, appears on track to face Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez in November following Herrera Beutler’s concession. 

Trump has focused on ousting Herrera Beutler and nine other House Republicans after they voted to impeach the former president following the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, instead endorsing challengers like Kent, who back unfounded claims of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election.

Herrera Beutler was the third pro-impeachment Republican to lose their primary, joining Rep. Peter Meijer (Mich.) and Rep. Tom Rice (S.C.). Rep. Liz Cheney (Wyo.), a vocal critic of the former president who also voted for impeachment, will face voters next week in what is expected to be an uphill battle against a Trump-backed candidate.

Herrera Beutler was first elected to the House in 2010, flipping the district red after former Rep. Brian Baird (D-Wash.) retired. Voters had elected Baird to the House in six consecutive elections.

Trump carried 51 percent of the district’s vote in 2020, a roughly 4 percentage-point victory margin. The district’s northern boundary was adjusted slightly in the redistricting process but remains largely intact.