GOP Rep. Dan Newhouse, a six-term House member from Washington state and a farmer who has been a leading voice on issues around ag labor, environmental regulation, and foreign land ownership, announced Wednesday that he won’t seek re-election in 2026.
Newhouse, whose small central Washington farm grows hops, tree fruit, grapes, and alfalfa, served as director of Washington’s state agriculture department before being elected in 2014 to replace Republican Doc Hastings.
Newhouse, who turned 70 this year, said in a statement his decision to leave Congress “comes with no reservations or remorse.”
“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.
“Public service takes many forms. As I look forward to this new chapter and ways I can continue to serve my community and this great Nation, I do so with confidence that there are now qualified and serious people expressing interest in this office.”
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Newhouse is a senior member of the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, which writes the annual spending bills for the Agriculture Department, Food and Drug Administration and Commodity Futures Trading Commission. He was granted a waiver to also sit on the House Agriculture Committee in 2025 while remaining on the Appropriations Committee.
He also is a former chair of the Congressional Western Caucus, which advocates on regulatory issues.
He was the lead Republican sponsor of the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, which would expand the H-2A program while providing a path to legal status for existing ag workers who are in the country illegally.
Newhouse has led several efforts to limit investors from China, Russia, Iran and North Korea from owning U.S. farmland, including the Protecting American Agriculture from Foreign Adversaries Act.
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