Washington parties, voter advocates craft 2026 midterms strategy

At a Washington State Democratic Party town hall in Yakima on April 9, attendees set up a “Missing” poster and model of a spine in reference to the decisions in recent months by U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse, a Republican representing the 4th Congressional District, to not respond to constituents or hold town halls. (Emree Weaver for Cascade PBS)

When former Gov. Jay Inslee was reminded that he was the “last” Democrat to represent the now-reliably Republican 4th Congressional District, Inslee was quick to interject.

“Not the last, just the most recent,” he said prior to a town hall in Yakima April 9. “There will be more.”

That’s the mindset Washington State Democratic Party leaders had when they traveled to Yakima and Spokane for town hall events last month.

At a minimum, they believe they can articulate an alternative to the representation residents currently have in these Republican-controlled Central and Eastern Washington congressional districts.

“I think it’s important that people get to see a different viewpoint,” said Shasti Conrad, chair of the Washington State Democratic Party. “[That] they get to see there’s a different way to doing things.”

For Conrad and Democrats across the U.S., town hall events are part of a robust effort to build relationships with voters and work toward flipping the House of Representatives at least.

“One of the big lessons we all needed to take away from 2024 is that we needed to spend more time listening,” Conrad said. “We really needed to be connecting with real people and making sure we are being responsive to their concerns and to the questions they have.”

Only a few months since last year’s general election, when Republicans grabbed the presidency and both Congressional chambers, neither party is taking it easy.

One of the few things both parties agree on is the importance of energizing voters and candidates in local races as a way of building a base of support for the high-profile legislative and Congressional races to come in 2026.

In January, the Washington State Republican Party hired as its political director Matt Brown, assistant mayor of Yakima and chair of the Yakima County Republican Party. The party was drawn to Brown’s ballot-harvesting strategy to get conservative candidates elected to the Yakima City Council and the 14th Legislative District.

State Republican chair and state Rep. Jim Walsh believes this strategy can increase activity among “low-propensity voters,” those with a history of infrequent participation. 

Meanwhile, Poder Latinx, a national nonprofit with several state chapters, including in Washington, has its sights set on increasing voter turnout among the local Latino community. The organization is holding several events aimed at helping Latino residents navigate voting in local elections, particularly in the Yakima Valley.

“Participating in local elections will allow them to become familiar with the process and be prepared for all elections,” said Poder Latinx Washington state coordinator Lucero Mendez.

Shasti Conrad answers a question during a town hall hosted by the Washington State Democratic Party at the Yakima Convention Center on April 9. (Emree Weaver for Cascade PBS) 

Challenging Trump

By and large, Republican leaders are shying away from town hall events. So nationally, the Democratic party has embraced them as a way to draw attention to the right wing’s relative silence. They have also become a key avenue for constituents to voice concerns or show resistance to the actions of the Trump administration.

During the April 9 town hall meeting in Yakima, attendees voiced concerns about the administration’s policies on immigration, tariffs and potential cuts to Medicaid, all of which represent challenges unique to Eastern Washington, where ICE raids have taken place, tariffs have historically hurt the sales of major agricultural exports and a disproportionate number of residents rely on Medicaid for health care.

Maria Beltran ran for State Senate in the 14th Legislative District last fall. In an interview prior to the town hall, she said Trump’s actions were “not normal” and that Washingtonians’ dissatisfaction with them was evident in numerous protests and marches held in the Yakima Valley over the previous weeks.

“There [are] a lot of avenues that people are choosing to use to make change and to continue pushing for what they want to see,” Beltran said. “My takeaway is people want to do something, people want to get involved, and people are not happy with the direction of the country.”

Party leaders also criticized U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse, the Republican who has represented the 4th District for a decade, for not holding any in-person town hall meetings since 2023. Lately, Newhouse has opted for telephone town halls,but has not held one in months.

At the town hall, Eric Carlson, a constituent from Royal City, handed out business cards advertising the phone number for Newhouse’s office in Washington, D.C. He also brought an artificial human backbone and pelvis, representing what he felt was Newhouse’s “lack of spine” in acknowledging constituents’ concerns.

Newhouse was one of two Republicans who voted to impeach Donald Trump, said Carlson, and owed his win over a fellow Republican in part to support from Democratic voters.

“Newhouse needs to hear from his constituents,” said Carlson. “There’s upset, there’s anger, there’s frustration. He needs to find the courage that he had on January 13, 2021, when he voted to impeach. I would like him to find that courage again.”

Sergio Garcia, an affordable-housing developer in Yakima, attended the town hall with his wife after seeing a post about it on social media.

Newhouse has been receiving criticism from both Democrats and Republicans, a predicament Garcia was sensitive to, but he said that dynamic didn’t change the congressman’s responsibility to engage with the local community.

“I deal with people who are against our [housing] developments, but that doesn’t mean I don’t show up to hear complaints,” he said. “I think all [Newhouse] can do is present the facts.”

A spokesman for Newhouse said he was planning a telephone town hall, But the congressman was not available for interviews and did not respond to questions from Cascade PBS.

A town hall held in Spokane April 25 featuring Rep. Emily Randall, a Democrat representing the Sixth Congressional District, focused more on questions about the Democrats, including questions about lessons learned from the previous election cycle and plans to address the needs of workers.

Spokane is in the Fifth Congressional District. There U.S. Rep Michael Bumgartner. The Republican won the seat, which became open after longtime U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers decided not to run for re-election. 

There is a clear need and hunger for these events, including from those who haven’t historically participated, Conrad said. “I think folks are upset in this moment, they’re looking for leadership; they’re looking for answers; they’re upset about their cuts in the community, and they’re upset about friends and family losing jobs.”

Conrad said the party wanted to show they are willing to listen to voters, regardless of party affiliation, and whether the feedback was positive or negative.

The hope is to build inroads on these districts over time, not flip them immediately, Conrad said.

Part of that effort includes cultivating Democratic leaders who can someday run for state or federal office by providing support and pushing for participation in local races such as those for school board and city councils.

Conrad believes the midterm elections will be crucial. Flipping the House will require preserving existing seats, particularly in the Third Congressional District, represented by Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez.

Democrats have criticized Gluesenkamp Perez for supporting the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would require proof of citizenship to vote. Democrats have said the policy would lead to voter disenfranchisement.

Conrad said she understands the balance Gluesenkamp Perez has to maintain as a Democrat in a district that went for Trump last fall. She notes that certain things that poll well among Democrats at large do not get traction in that district. Keeping it is crucial to flipping the House, said Conrad.

Audience members applaud during a town hall hosted by the Washington State Democratic Party at the Yakima Convention Center on April 9. (Emree Weaver for Cascade PBS) 

Building relationships and ballot harvesting

Republican Party Chair Walsh is dismissive of the town halls Democrats have been holding, calling the one in Yakima “cringe.”

Given Inslee’s unpopularity in the region, Walsh questioned the wisdom of featuring the former governor in Yakima, where Inslee consistently lost in the 4th Congressional district. “Inslee is so toxic and such an anchor on anything the Democrats do,” said Walsh. 

He said Democrats were “virtual signaling” by holding town halls as a way to criticize Republicans for avoiding the gatherings.

Washington Republicans do hold in-person events with voters, he said, but they often happen spontaneously and without much media attention. During a stop on a listening tour last summer, Walsh said he heard from residents who wanted to talk about the price of hunting licenses. “If you do it right and it’s real, organic and natural, you can have interesting conversations and they sometimes go in a direction you don’t anticipate,” he said.

Like the Democrats, the state Republican party is ramping up its electoral strategy. Walsh said the party is scaling up ballot-harvesting efforts — in which volunteers collect ballots on voters’ behalf, provide drop-off sites for ballots and share guidance to voters filling out ballots. Brown has had success with this approach in the 14th Legislative District.

It’s a strategy Republicans have criticized when it’s employed by Democrats. But Walsh sees it as necessary, especially under Washington’s mail-in ballot system. “It’s the current law, it’s the current system in Washington,” Walsh said. “As long as it is, I plan to play to win.”

Dan Peters, president of the Selah School Board, speaks during a town hall hosted by the Washington State Democratic Party in Yakima on April 9. (Emree Weaver for Cascade PBS)

Latino voters

Latino voter turnout in the 2024 election was well below the average statewide and in Yakima County, which already has some of the lowest turnout rates among all Washington counties.

In the 14th Legislative District, a Latino-voter-majority district, turnout among those with a Latino surname was at just under 50% during the 2024 election, well below the county turnout rate of 67% and the statewide turnout rate of 79%.

Republicans framed the election as a failure for Democrats, who had advocated for the new district to be drawn in response to a court ruling. But Democrats said that there could be a different result next time if more Latinos turn up for elections.

Mendez, the state coordinator for Poder Latinx, which is nonpartisan, said stigma and misinformation can keep Latinos from voting. Many may not understand the process, while others are convinced that their vote won’t have an impact.

Mendez said connecting early and often was one way to address this barrier. Educating voters on why voting matters, how to participate and key issues like the economy or the environment could also be energizing.

“We want people to vote for what they’re passionate about,” Mendez said.

Recently, the organization participated in Yakima’s Earth Day event by organizing a clothing swap at which attendees were given the opportunity to register to vote. The organization also recently held an event during May Day and another one this month for women, featuring free food and prizes and a guide through the recently completed legislative session.

“We want to create a welcoming atmosphere, we want to create excitement toward [voting],” she said. “This is a way we fight stigma and apathy.”

Mai Hoang, Central/Eastern Washington reporter for Cascade PBS