Three incumbents lead in Congressional primary races
Published 9:25 pm Tuesday, August 4, 2026
EVERETT — Three incumbents took early leads in the primary race for three Congressional seats representing parts of Snohomish County, and all three are likely to advance to the November ballot, initial results released Tuesday show.
Some of the battles for second-place spots showed clear front runners, while other remained too close to call, early results showed. The top two candidates advance to the general election.
Incumbent Democratic representative Suzan DelBene held on to a early lead with 54.4% of the vote in a crowded seven-person race as results came in on Tuesday night, while challenger Mary Silva held a firm grasp on second place with 27.2% of the vote.
DelBene, of Medina, has served in the House of Representatives since 2012. If reelected, she hopes to address the cost of living, allow for the building of more affordable housing and roll back recent Republican policies like tariffs and cuts to Affordable Care Act tax credits, she said in an interview with The Daily Herald. As of Tuesday, she had reported receiving about $3.2 million in campaign contributions.
Silva, a Republican, hopes to address the cost of living and introduce new cybersecurity requirements for tech companies, she said in an interview. Other priorities she stated included addressing money laundering from illegal drug sales, ending mail-in voting, auditing the Pentagon and opening another investigation into the 9/11 attacks. As of Tuesday, she reported receiving about $3,200 in campaign contributions.
Other candidates had fallen behind the pack, initial results from Tuesday showed. James Etzkorn, an independent candidate from unincorporated Snohomish, earned 7% of the vote. Hunter Gordon, a progressive candidate from Redmond, earned 5% of the vote. Bryce Nickel, a paraeducator running as a Democrat, earned 2.2% of the vote. Benjamin Kincaid, a Democrat, received 2.1%. Catherine Hildebrand, a travel agent running as a Democrat, also got 2.1%.
The 1st Congressional District includes parts of King and Snohomish counties, including cities like Snohomish, Monroe, Mill Creek and Marysville.
Long-time incumbent Rick Larsen will almost certainly advance to the November general election after earning 44.9% of the vote on Tuesday, early results showed.
He is followed by Edwin Feller, a Republican candidate from Lynden, who earned 32.9% of the vote as of Tuesday.
The two will likely advance to the November ballot after leading by significant margins against the other challengers in the race.
Larsen’s top priorities include affordability, supporting veterans, fighting the fentanyl crisis, supporting the environment and investing in transportation projects, he previously told the Daily Herald. If reelected, he would serve his 14th term in Congress. He reported receiving about $2 million in campaign contributions as of Tuesday.
Feller’s top priorities include addressing illegal immigration, expanding hydropower and nuclear energy projects, and banning transgender girls from participating in girls sports. He didn’t report any campaign contributions.
Two Democratic challengers, Tomas Scheel and Devin Hermanson, fell behind the two front runners, early results showed. Scheel earned 11.7% of the vote; Hermanson earned 10.4%.
District 2 encompasses much of western Snohomish County, including Everett, Edmonds and Mukilteo, along with the Tulalip Reservation. It also includes Island, Skagit and Whatcom counties.
Incumbent Kim Schrier took an early lead in the race for a spot on the November ballot after initial results showed she had received 54% of the vote as of Tuesday night, in all likelihood clinching a spot in the general election.
But the battle for the second spot in the race was very close between three different Republican challengers: Trinh Ha, Spencer Meline and Bob Hagglund.
Spencer Meline, a Republican challenger from Cashmere, led against Trinh Ha, a Republican challenger from Bellevue, by a margin of just seven votes, Tuesday’s initial results showed. Meline had earned 14.75% of the vote; Ha earned 14.74%.
Bob Hagglund, a Republican challenger from Granite Falls, was also in the running for a spot on the November ballot, even as he sat in fourth place on Tuesday, as he had earned 11.8% of the vote.
Schrier hopes to focus on affordability and improving healthcare, she said in a previous interview. If reelected, it would be her fifth term as a Congressional representative. She reported about $2.9 million in campaign contributions as of Tuesday.
Meline’s top priorities include supporting small businesses, lowering the cost of living and improving the stewardship of public lands. He reported raising about $41,500 in campaign contributions as of Tuesday.
Ha said in an interview that her top priorities include improving schools and public safety, lowering the cost of living, supporting veterans and confronting “the growing threat from China.” She reported raising about $151,229 in campaign contributions as of Tuesday.
Hagglund’s top priorities include affordability, increasing clean energy production and improving public safety, he said in a previous interview. He got about $27,800 in campaign contributions as of Tuesday, according to FEC filings.
Democrat Kieth Arnold and Andrews Valleza lagged far behind the rest of the pack, early results showed. Valleza received 2.4%; Arnold received 2.2%.
District 8 includes much of rural eastern Snohomish County, along with parts of Pierce County, Kittitas County and Chelan county.
U.S. Representatives earn $174,000 per year.
Election officials will continue counting ballots throughout the coming weeks. The state will certify election results on Aug. 21.
Will Geschke: 425-339-3443; william.geschke@heraldnet.com; X: @willgeschke.
