In the race for Washington state’s 5th Congressional District, U.S. Rep. Michael Baumgartner, the Republican incumbent, is now ahead by a few thousand votes.
That’s according to the latest round of unofficial general election results from the Washington Secretary of State’s Office.
As of Thursday afternoon, Baumgartner had 104,738 votes to Democratic challenger Carmela Conroy’s 101,677 votes. Write-ins accounted for 681 votes.
Conroy has said the race is too close to call, as votes are still being counted.
On election night, the Republican candidate was leading by less than 1% — a wild swing from the 2024 general election, in which Baumgartner beat Conroy by more than 20%.
If Baumgartner wins his second term, he will find himself in the minority party. In January, Democrats will have control of Congress.
If Conroy wins, she will be the first Democrat to represent Eastern Washington since the 1990s.
The district covers Asotin, Columbia, Ferry, Garfield, Lincoln, Port Oreille, Spokane, Stevens, Walla Walla and Whitman counties. It also includes parts of Adams and Franklin counties.
Washington counties will certify their election results on Nov. 24. The secretary of state must certify statewide results by Dec. 3.
