- Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler conceded defeat on Tuesday, a week after polls closed in Washington state.
- Trump backed a primary opponent to Herrera Beutler after she voted to impeach him.
Republican Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler on Tuesday conceded defeat to a Trump-backed primary challenger, handing former President Donald Trump another victory in his vendetta against pro-impeachment lawmakers.
"Thank you, Southwest Washington, for entrusting me six times with the privilege of representing you in Congress. Ever since I was first elected to this seat I have done my very best to serve my home region and our country," Herrera Beutler said in a statement a week after polls closed in Washington state, per the Chinook Observer. "Though my campaign came up short this time, I'm proud of all we've accomplished together for the place where I was raised and still call home."
Trump endorsed Joe Kent, an Army veteran, in the race. The Washington Third District is favorable to Republicans and should be easily held by Kent if historical midterm trends prevail this November.DDHQ projected that Kent would advance under the state's top two jungle primary format earlier Tuesday evening.
Herrera Beutler's loss means that seven of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump for inciting the January 6 insurrection will not be returning to Congress next year. She is the third Republican in the group to fall in a primary, joining fellow Reps. Tom Price of South Carolina and Peter Meijer of Michigan. January 6 committee vice chair Rep. Liz Cheney faces voters in Wyoming next week. The other four lawmakers decided to retire.
Democratic lawmakers discussed calling Herrera Beutler to testify during the impeachment trial about her recounting of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy's reportedly heated conversation with Trump as the riot unfolded. Ultimately, no witnesses were called.
Trump has made it clear since leaving office that one of his key missions is to rid the Republican Party of the lawmakers who made his second impeachment the most bipartisan in history. On both occasions, Senate Republicans later acquitted him.
Only two House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump, Reps. David Valadao of California and Dan Newhouse of Washington, have survived GOP primaries in the wake of their votes. Newhouse faced six fellow Republicans in the race and bested Trump-backed Loren Culp by just over 6,000 votes.