Who's running in Washington's 5th 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 · Michael Baumgartner currently holds this seat
High confidenceHigh confidenceBacked by government records or the candidate's own official statements, with agreement across several independent sources.What would raise it: Nothing missing — this is the strongest evidence tier.
What they say they stand for
Their own words. Claims, not verified facts.
Reducing federal regulation and government spending.
Stricter immigration enforcement, including mandatory E-Verify; he calls the southern border a humanitarian crisis.
Leaving abortion policy to the states.
Agriculture and trade access for eastern Washington exports.
Continued United States engagement abroad while rejecting what he calls Bush-era nation-building.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
U.S. Representative for the 5th District since January 2025; elected in 2024 with 60.6%.
Washington state senator from 2011 to 2019; Spokane County treasurer from 2019 to 2025.
Former State Department officer with service in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Voted for the SAVE America Act — "requiring ID to vote is just common sense" — and against H.R. 1834, which would have extended enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies for three years.
Took 47.4% in the August 4, 2026 top-two primary against five opponents.
Arguments in favor
He has President Trump, former Spokane mayors David Condon and Nadine Woodward, three eastern Washington legislators, the Washington Farm Bureau, the Associated General Contractors and Mainstream Republicans of Washington behind him — and the unusual endorsement of career ambassador Ryan Crocker, reflecting his diplomatic service.
— Endorsements from the officials and organisations named
He took nearly half the primary vote in a six-candidate field, and every forecaster rates the seat safe or solid Republican: the Cook Political Report has rated it safe Republican throughout the cycle.
— August 2026 primary results; Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball and Decision Desk HQ ratings
Arguments against
A Whitworth University town hall in March 2025 turned into near-constant shouting, with constituents demanding answers on his voting record; The Spokesman-Review described contempt and disgust from the crowd, and he said afterwards he might switch to telephone town halls over disruption and safety.
— The Spokesman-Review, March 2025
Spokane Indivisible's published tally of his 2026 votes argues he sides against constituents' interests — voting no on H.R. 1834, which would have reinstated enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies for three years, and no on the Arkansas Valley Conduit water infrastructure measure, while voting for the Homeland Security appropriation funding ICE and CBP.
— Spokane Indivisible, January 2026
What we couldn’t verify
Spokane Indivisible is a progressive advocacy organisation, not a neutral scorekeeper; the votes it lists are matters of record but its framing is its own.
No criticism of Baumgartner by name from Carmela Conroy's campaign or from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee could be found; the district is not on the committee's target list.
The March 2025 town hall was early in his term; whether he has held further in-person town halls since was not established from the sources found.
Higher taxes on the wealthy and restored tax credits for working families.
Reproductive health care access, against what she calls draconian anti-abortion laws.
Immigration reform for people already settled here, alongside secure borders and against mass deportations.
Global stability as a condition for the district's agricultural exports, argued from her diplomatic career.
Problem-solving over partisanship, her campaign's stated theme.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
Former Spokane County deputy prosecutor; career United States Foreign Service officer with postings in Afghanistan, Japan, New Zealand, Norway and Pakistan.
Former chair of the Spokane County Democratic Party, from which she stepped down to run.
Democratic candidate for this district in 2024, taking about 40% of the vote.
Took 18.8% in the August 4, 2026 top-two primary, second behind Baumgartner in a six-candidate field.
Raised more than $300,000 by mid-2026 — more than the other challengers combined.
Has not held elected office.
Arguments in favor
She was endorsed by the Washington State Labor Council, the National Women's Political Caucus and the Center for Freethought Equality, and had raised more than $300,000 by mid-2026 — more than all the other challengers put together.
— Endorsements from the organisations named; campaign finance reporting by The Spokesman-Review
She argues the arithmetic is moving her way: Democrats here run roughly a point and a half better in midterms than in presidential years, and in 2024 she cleared the district's usual 40% Democratic ceiling as a non-incumbent challenger.
— Carmela Conroy campaign, reported by The Spokesman-Review
Arguments against
The Spokesman-Review reported that "practically all of Baumgartner's other challengers… told The Spokesman-Review the same thing: Baumgartner has to go, and Conroy can't do it," noting the last Democrat to run twice here improved by about a point between attempts, which would leave her roughly ten points short.
— Baumgartner's other 2026 challengers, quoted by The Spokesman-Review, June 2026
She finished the primary with 18.8% — barely ahead of fellow Democrat Nate Powell's 16.4% and nearly thirty points behind the incumbent — and Baumgartner now has the incumbency advantage he lacked in the open race of 2024.
— August 2026 primary results; The Spokesman-Review analysis
What we couldn’t verify
The criticism above comes from rival candidates in her own party's primary and from a local newspaper's analysis, not from the Republican side. No National Republican Congressional Committee material naming Conroy was found.
The two Democrats in the primary took a combined 35.2%, well short of Baumgartner's 47.4%.
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, Republican incumbent Michael Baumgartner took 47.4% and Democrat Carmela Conroy 18.8%; a second Democrat, Nate Powell, took 16.4% and three others were eliminated. Baumgartner and Conroy appear on the November ballot. The district covers much of eastern Washington, including Spokane, Pullman and Walla Walla. Every forecaster rates it safe or solid Republican; the only public poll, commissioned by a Democratic firm in May 2026, put Baumgartner ahead 53%–47%.
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.