Didier, Newhouse early leaders in Congressional race

MOSES LAKE - Two Republicans will move on to November's General Election in the Fourth Congressional District race as Clint Didier and Dan Newhouse came out on top in Tuesday's primary election.

This is the first congressional contest in state history to have the top two candidates from the same party advance to the November ballot under the state's top-two primary system adopted in 2008, according to the state Secretary of State's Office.

Didier, an Eltopia farmer and former NFL tight end, leads all candidates in the race to replace Rep. Doc Hastings, receiving more than 30 percent of the vote. Dan Newhouse, former state Department of Agriculture director and state legislator, was in second as of Tuesday night with 26 percent of the vote.

Didier received 22,304 votes, leading in six of the eight counties in the district, compared to Newhouse's 19,517 votes. Newhouse, of Sunnyside, led in Yakima County.

Newhouse released the following statement Tuesday night regarding the results of the primary election.

"We believe the results indicate that the voters clearly want a candidate who will go back to Washington, D.C. and get results," he said. "I'll fight to pass a Balanced Budget Amendment, repeal and replace Obamacare, and protect our Second Amendment rights, and I'll also focus on Central Washington priorities like Hanford cleanup and water conservation."

Dider could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Yakima's Estakio Beltran, one of two Democrats on the ballot, was in third with 8,298 votes, or about 11 percent. State Senator Janéa Holmquist, a Moses Lake Republican, came in fourth with more than 10 percent of the vote, or 7,720 votes. Holmquist received the most votes in Grant County with 3,517, about 32 percent.

The other eight candidates in order included Tony Sandoval (5,076 votes), George Cicotte (4,733), Richard Wright (2,426), Gavin Seim (1,462), Josh Ramirez (1,033), Glen R. Stockwell (434), Gordon Allen Pross (137), and Kevin Midbust (124).

Results will continue to be updated until certified by the Secretary of State on Aug. 22.