One of the last remaining Republican critics of Donald Trump in Congress is stepping aside — and that could reshape the debate inside the GOP in a big way.
Rep. Dan Newhouse, a Republican from Washington state and one of the very few House Republicans who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump, announced on Wednesday that he will not run for re-election next year. His decision marks the quiet end of a remarkable chapter: a small group of Republicans who openly broke with Trump after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
In a statement posted on his X account, Newhouse explained that his choice to retire from Congress comes "with no reservations or remorse" and said he feels only gratitude for the chance to represent his home state in Washington, D.C. He emphasized that serving in Congress had been a tremendous opportunity, not a burden, and framed his exit as a natural transition rather than a retreat.
Newhouse also said he is looking forward to a "new chapter" and to exploring other ways he can continue serving his local community and the country as a whole. He expressed appreciation for his family, thanking them for their "steadfast love and support" throughout his time in public office — something many longtime lawmakers point to as essential given the pressures of national politics.
First elected to Congress in 2014, Newhouse has become notable not just as a Republican from a solidly red district, but as one of the last remaining House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump in 2021 over the former president’s role in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. Out of the original ten House Republicans who supported impeachment, only two are still in office: Newhouse and Rep. David Valadao of California. That fact alone raises a tough question: Is there still room in today’s GOP for open dissent from Trump?
On the Senate side, the group that broke with Trump is even smaller. Only three Republican senators who voted to convict Trump during his impeachment trial remain in office: Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana. Their continued presence keeps the intra-party debate alive, but they are very clearly in the minority.
Back in 2021, when the House considered impeaching Trump over Jan. 6, Newhouse publicly laid out his reasoning. In a statement explaining his vote, he argued that "the mob was inflamed by the language and misinformation of the President of the United States." In other words, he believed that Trump’s words and false claims about the 2020 election helped trigger the violent events at the Capitol.
Newhouse went further, criticizing Trump’s response as the attack unfolded. He said the president "did not strongly condemn the attack nor did he call in reinforcements when our officers were overwhelmed." According to Newhouse, that failure of leadership in a moment of national crisis meant Trump did not live up to his presidential oath. "Our country needed a leader, and President Trump failed to fulfill his oath of office," Newhouse said at the time, concluding, "I will vote yes on the articles of impeachment."
But here’s where it gets controversial: Despite Newhouse’s high-profile break with Trump, his congressional seat is still considered very safe for Republicans. Trump carried his district by a commanding 21-point margin in the 2024 presidential election, and the nonpartisan Cook Political Report currently rates the race as "Solid Republican." That means the seat is overwhelmingly likely to stay in GOP hands, even as one of its most independent voices exits the stage.
In the most recent election, Newhouse managed to win another term by 6 percentage points, defeating Jerrod Sessler, a Trump-aligned Republican, in the general election. The twist is that Sessler had actually beaten Newhouse in the GOP primary earlier that year. This unusual outcome is possible because Washington state uses a "top-two" primary system: All candidates, regardless of party, compete on the same ballot, and the two highest vote-getters advance to the general election. That can lead to general election matchups between two candidates from the same party, as it did in Newhouse’s race.
Sessler, a businessman and former NASCAR driver, is running again for the same seat in 2026. The district’s next primary is scheduled for August of that year. Given the district’s strong Republican tilt and Sessler’s loyalty to Trump, this contest could become a test of how strongly pro-Trump sentiment still shapes GOP primaries in deep-red areas.
Sessler’s background and views underline just how sharply he differs from Newhouse. In addition to his business career and NASCAR experience, Sessler is also a Navy veteran. He has said that he was physically present in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021, and that he attended Trump’s speech that day. However, he maintains that he did not enter the Capitol building during the riot.
And this is the part most people miss: Sessler has repeatedly defended many of the Jan. 6 rioters, including those who faced prosecution—and later received presidential pardons earlier this year—for their involvement in the attack on the Capitol. He has described them as "innocent Americans" and has promoted debunked conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, echoing claims that multiple courts, officials, and investigations have rejected.
This puts Sessler in direct contrast not just with Newhouse, but with Republicans who have tried to distance the party from Jan. 6 and election denialism. For some voters, defending the rioters is an act of patriotism; for others, it’s an alarming rejection of the rule of law. That sharp divide is one of the most contentious fault lines inside the modern Republican Party.
Over in the Senate, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana — another Republican who voted to convict Trump — is facing his own political turbulence. He is now dealing with a crowded Republican primary field, including candidates who openly criticize his decision to vote against Trump in the impeachment trial. Cassidy’s situation illustrates how long the political consequences of those impeachment votes have lasted. For some GOP voters and activists, breaking with Trump remains an almost unforgivable move, even years later.
This story is still unfolding and new details may emerge as more candidates announce, campaigns ramp up, and party leaders decide whether to back Trump-aligned challengers or stick with more traditional conservatives. For now, Newhouse’s retirement is another sign of how the Republican Party continues to evolve — or depending on your view, to realign — in the Trump era.
So what do you think: Is the shrinking number of Republicans willing to oppose Trump a sign of party unity, or a warning that dissenting voices are being pushed out? Do you agree with Newhouse’s decision to impeach Trump, or do you think the voters should have been the only judges of Trump’s actions? Share whether you think officials like Newhouse and Cassidy are courageously standing on principle — or betraying the will of their voters — in the comments.
