The names of the ten Republicans who voted to impeach Donald Trump are burned into the conservative base's memory.
Trump spent four years making sure every last one faced accountability.
And Donald Trump just read the one piece of news about this RINO Congressman he's been waiting years to see.
Trump-Backed Challenger Finally Gets Clear Path After Years of Fighting
Washington Congressman Dan Newhouse announced Wednesday he won't seek reelection in 2026, ending more than a decade representing the state's deeply conservative 4th Congressional District.¹
Newhouse became one of Trump's top targets after he joined nine other House Republicans voting to impeach the President following the events of January 6, 2021.
"A vote against this impeachment is a vote to validate the unacceptable violence we witnessed in our nation's capital," Newhouse said at the time.²
Trump never forgot. And Trump never forgave.
The President personally recruited Navy veteran and former NASCAR driver Jerrod Sessler to take him on. Trump endorsed Sessler in 2024, calling Newhouse a "weak and pathetic RINO" who voted to impeach him "for no reason."³
Newhouse survived Trump's challenges in both 2022 and 2024, but barely. He won last year's general election by just 6 percentage points after Sessler actually beat him in the primary.⁴
Washington uses a top-two primary system where the top two vote-getters advance regardless of party. That quirk saved Newhouse's career — temporarily.
The constant pressure finally worked. Newhouse waved the white flag.
"After over 25 years of public service, including more than a decade in the House, I am grateful to the Washingtonians who put their faith in me, as well as the colleagues I have served with on both sides of the aisle," Newhouse said in his retirement statement.⁵
Translation: the political hits kept coming and he couldn't take it anymore.
Sessler already filed to run again in 2026. Trump won Newhouse's district by 21 percentage points in 2024.⁶ With the RINO incumbent finally out of the way, Republicans are virtually guaranteed to flip this seat to a Trump loyalist.
The Ten Republicans Who Voted to Impeach Trump Have Been Systematically Eliminated
Newhouse's retirement leaves just one name standing from the group of Republicans who stabbed Trump in the back: California Rep. David Valadao.
The fate of the other eight tells the story of Trump's dominance over the Republican Party.
Four were defeated in primaries: Liz Cheney of Wyoming, Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington, Peter Meijer of Michigan, and Tom Rice of South Carolina all lost to Trump-backed challengers.⁷
Four chose to retire rather than face voters after betraying the base: Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, Fred Upton of Michigan, Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio, and John Katko of New York walked away from Congress.⁸
Now Newhouse joins the retirement list.
That's nine out of ten eliminated.
Sessler praised Trump's support in a statement after Newhouse's announcement. "I've got President Trump's support and all those who want to see Washington state return to sanity," Sessler said.⁹
The Trump-backed challenger defended January 6 participants, calling them "innocent Americans."¹⁰ He's also supported Trump's claims about the 2020 election — positions that put him squarely in line with the Republican base that Newhouse alienated.
Newhouse tried defending his impeachment vote in 2024, telling reporters he felt "very confident" he could work with Trump again despite voting to remove him from office.¹¹
Voters didn't buy it. The Trump loyalists in his district made him fight for his political life in every election cycle.
Trump's complete and total endorsement of Sessler in April 2024 spelled out the stakes: "Jerrod Sessler is a fantastic candidate and will be a GREAT Congressman for Washington State's 4th Congressional District. A Navy Veteran, Entrepreneur, Loving Father and Husband, Jerrod will fight hard every day to secure the Border, stand for the Rule of Law, strengthen our Military, take care of our Vets, Defend our Nation, and protect our always under siege Second Amendment."¹²
The endorsement concluded with a direct shot at Newhouse: "He is running against a weak and pathetic RINO named Newhouse, who voted to, for no reason, Impeach me. Newhouse has to go! Jerrod Sessler is MAGA all the way, and has my Complete and Total Endorsement — He will never let you down!!!"¹³
That pressure campaign finally forced Newhouse out.
Republicans who voted to impeach Trump learned a hard lesson: the conservative base doesn't forget betrayal, and Trump makes sure they pay the price at the ballot box.
¹ U.S. Representative Dan Newhouse, Statement on Retirement, X (formerly Twitter), December 17, 2025.
² U.S. Representative Dan Newhouse, Statement on Impeachment Vote, House Floor, January 13, 2021.
³ Donald J. Trump, Truth Social Post, April 12, 2024.
⁴ "Rep. Dan Newhouse, one of the last remaining House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump, won't seek re-election," NBC News, December 17, 2025.
⁵ Ibid.
⁶ Ibid.
⁷ "House Republican who voted to impeach Trump over Jan. 6 retiring from Congress," Axios, December 17, 2025.
⁸ Ibid.
⁹ "Newhouse, one of 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Trump, not seeking reelection in 2026," MyNorthwest, December 17, 2025.
¹⁰ "Republican Rep. Dan Newhouse won't seek re-election in 2026," UPI, December 17, 2025.
¹¹ "House Republican who voted to impeach Trump in 2021 won't seek re-election," Fox News, December 17, 2025.
¹² Donald J. Trump, Truth Social Post, April 12, 2024.
¹³ Ibid.
