Who's running in Washington's 2nd congressional district
2 candidates are on the ballot. Below is what each one says they stand for, what they have actually done in office or in public life, and the arguments published for and against them — each quoted from a named source rather than summarised by us.
2 candidates · ballot order · Rick Larsen currently holds this seat
Medium confidenceMedium confidenceThe candidate's stated positions and basic record are documented, but coverage is thin — often little independent reporting, or criticism from only one side.What would raise it: More independent reporting, a documented voting record, or published criticism from a named opponent would raise this.
What they say they stand for
Their own words. Claims, not verified facts.
Cost of living, which he says the election will turn on.
Reinstating Affordable Care Act premium tax credits and Medicare drug price negotiation.
Lowering tariffs.
Transportation and infrastructure investment, his committee's remit.
Supreme Court reform.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
U.S. Representative for the 2nd District since January 2001; re-elected in 2024 with 63.8%.
Ranking Democrat on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee; co-chair of the U.S.–China Working Group; member of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.
Took 42.3% in the August 4, 2026 top-two primary against two Democratic and one Republican challenger.
Has consistently voted for military aid to Israel and has not co-sponsored the House ceasefire resolution.
Arguments in favor
The Washington State Labor Council, the operating engineers' Local 302, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Moms Demand Action and the Sierra Club endorsed him, and he holds the ranking Democratic seat on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee — direct leverage over the infrastructure spending his district depends on.
— Endorsements from the unions and organisations named; his committee position
He frames the race on cost of living rather than on his own tenure: "the president promised no wars and lower prices — and we have more wars and higher prices," and he took more of the primary vote than the two Democrats running against him combined.
— Rick Larsen, quoted by Cascadia Daily News; August 2026 primary results
Arguments against
Constituents in Bellingham confronted him over Gaza at his own campaign kickoff, and CodePink reported he left through a restaurant kitchen rather than engage. Activists note he has not co-sponsored the ceasefire resolution, the Palestinian rights resolution or the measure to bar precision-guided bombs to Israel, and has taken more than $81,000 from AIPAC and allied groups.
— CodePink and Bellingham constituents; Track AIPAC figures
Two Democrats ran against him on the argument that thirteen terms is enough — Devin Hermanson called for "tearing this thing down to the studs and rebuilding it," and Tomas Scheel, backed by CAIR Action, the Whatcom County DSA and both the San Juan and Skagit county Democratic parties, ran on court reform and health care.
— Devin Hermanson and Tomas Scheel, 2026 primary, reported by Cascadia Daily News
What we couldn’t verify
The Gaza criticism comes from advocacy groups and constituents rather than from an opposing campaign, and the figures on AIPAC funding come from Track AIPAC, an advocacy organisation, rather than from an independent compilation.
The Skagit County Democratic Party endorsed both Larsen and his primary challenger Tomas Scheel, an unusual split.
No criticism of Larsen by name from Edwin Feller or from the National Republican Congressional Committee could be found.
Immigration enforcement — "Illegal immigrants have got to go."
Support for law enforcement and federal safe-streets requirements.
Lower taxes and reduced federal spending, which he blames for the cost of living.
Streamlined energy permitting and environmental deregulation.
Secure borders.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
Retired HVAC contractor; founder of Feller Heating; spent about eighteen years in a union sheet metal job and owned three businesses.
Grew up on a Whatcom County dairy farm; a lifelong resident of the district; lives in Lynden.
Advanced from the August 4, 2026 top-two primary with 32.8%.
Has never held elected office.
Is 83 years old.
Arguments in favor
He consolidated the district's Republican vote in an open primary, taking 32.8% — more than the two Democratic challengers combined — and brings a working trade background, eighteen years union sheet metal and three businesses, to a district with a large manufacturing base.
— August 4, 2026 top-two primary results; Cascadia Daily News and Lynden Tribune profiles
Arguments against
Every forecaster rates the district safe or solid Democratic: Larsen won by more than twenty-seven points in 2024 and has held the seat since 2001, and Feller has never held elected office.
— Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball and Decision Desk HQ ratings; 2024 result
What we couldn’t verify
No published criticism of Feller by name could be found — not from Rick Larsen or his campaign, not from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and not in Whatcom or Snohomish county news coverage beyond descriptive profiles. Searches covered DCCC materials, his name against criticism and opponent terms, and Cascadia Daily News, the Lynden Tribune, the Everett Herald and the Skagit Valley Herald.
No fundraising figures for his campaign were found; Wikipedia's table lists a figure only for Larsen.
No party committee or elected-official endorsements were found.
Positions and criticism are quoted from the named sources, not our assessments. This is built to help you start getting informed — confirm the official candidate list with your election authority before you vote.
Washington uses a top-two primary. In the August 4, 2026 primary, Democratic incumbent Rick Larsen took 42.3% and Republican Edwin H. Feller 32.8%; Democrats Tomas Scheel (13.9%) and Devin Hermanson (10.9%) were eliminated. Those two appear on the November ballot. The district runs from the Canadian border down to the northern Seattle metropolitan area, taking in Bellingham and Everett. Every forecaster rates it safe or solid Democratic.
This is one contest on a longer ballot
A Washington ballot also carries state legislative districts, county offices, judicial seats and often local questions — and which of them you vote on is decided by your street address, not your city or ZIP code.
Your ballot is determined by your election authority, not by us. Verify your registration, precinct, and sample ballot at Washington Secretary of State.