Washington’s 9th District House Race 2026

Krista Perez, the Democratic candidate for Washington state's 29th Legislative District, Position 1, was arrested for DUI early on August 11 after police say her vehicle struck a parked car in Tacoma, triggering a chain-reaction collision that damaged five vehicles.

Body camera footage released by the Tacoma Police Department shows Perez telling officers she had "one glass of wine" before the crash and could not recall details of the accident or provide her insurance information. When asked to rate her sobriety on a scale of zero to ten, she said "four." She declined field sobriety tests and became visibly distressed after being handcuffed, crying and praying in the back of the patrol car while repeatedly saying she did not understand what was happening. She was booked into Pierce County Corrections on the DUI charge that morning.

Perez had previously won her party's primary for the state House seat.

U.S. Rep. Maxine Dexter, D-Ore., made an unannounced visit to the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, a GEO Group-run ICE facility, after reports of a hunger strike, poor food and troubling living conditions. Accompanied by Rep. Emily Randall, D-Wash., Dexter said facility staff initially denied any hunger strike was underway, showing records for two units with no refused meals. But a detainee from a different unit told the lawmakers that units G3 and G4, housing roughly 140 people, were participating, with nearly all detainees in G4 refusing meals for four days.

Dexter and Randall were barred from touring the medical unit, and all visitations were halted during their visit. They also heard an unverified report of two deaths at the facility this week, along with concerns about inadequate medical care for detainees with diabetes and chronic illness. Dexter called the contradictory information "incredibly frustrating" and plans to send a formal follow-up letter seeking answers from federal officials.

Roughly two dozen Democratic-led states and the District of Columbia, including Washington, Wisconsin, California and Pennsylvania, filed a new lawsuit against the U.S. Postal Service on August 26, challenging a rule implementing President Trump's executive order limiting mail-in voting ahead of the midterms. The suit, filed in a Massachusetts federal court, comes days after the Supreme Court lifted an injunction blocking part of the order, ruling the earlier Democratic challenge was premature rather than affirming its legality. California's suit followed shortly after, with Attorney General Rob Bonta calling the rule a "clear violation of the Constitution" and citing the state's heavy reliance on mail voting.

The USPS rule requires states to register mail voters into a new USPS database and get federal approval for ballot envelope designs featuring digital barcodes before ballots can be delivered; USPS says it won't deliver ballots to voters absent from the list or in noncompliant envelopes. State officials argue the rule violates the Constitution's assignment of election authority to states and risks disenfranchising voters this close to the election. The coalition seeks a temporary restraining order. Trump's original order remains blocked under a separate injunction, and the administration defends the rule as an election-security measure, though it remains unclear whether it will affect November's elections.

Federal prosecutors asked Washington election officials to set aside ballots from roughly 405 voters they suspect registered without citizenship, accounting for about 1,500 cast ballots, and said more names may follow before Election Day. Secretary of State Steve Hobbs confirmed his office is reviewing the demand, which follows about 60 federal subpoenas for voter records over the past month. Hobbs has called the DOJ's data "deeply flawed," noting citizens appear on the list and most flagged voters are unregistered or inactive, and says withholding ballots without individualized proof would likely be unlawful. No charges have been filed.

A similar, larger fight is underway in California, where a federal judge rejected a DOJ demand to sequester roughly 20,000 disputed ballots but appointed a special master to vet the list, which both sides agree includes citizens. The DOJ has since subpoenaed California election officials and appealed to the 9th Circuit. Alaska has faced comparable demands.

A new report from Washington's state hospital and community health associations projects hospitals will lose nearly $6 billion in revenue through 2033 due to federal Medicaid cuts enacted under last year's Republican-backed tax and spending law. Sen. Maria Cantwell and healthcare leaders warned the roughly $900 billion in nationwide cuts will raise ER wait times, premiums and uncompensated care costs. About 200,000 Washingtonians are expected to lose coverage by next year, partly due to new work requirements starting January 1 and the removal of coverage for refugees and asylees. Rural hospitals, including on the Olympic Peninsula, face the steepest losses, with clinics also bracing for major reimbursement shortfalls and reduced patient visits.

Washington state Rep. David Hackney, a Democrat, says he is frustrated with members of his own party after his "Whistleblower Protection Bill" (House Bill 2585) died in committee without a floor vote. The bill would have extended whistleblower protections and financial incentives for reporting fraud to all state government spending, mirroring laws already in place in 33 other states. Hackney said the committee chair, also a Democrat, never scheduled the bill for a vote, and he has secured commitments from House Speaker Laurie Jinkins and Gov. Bob Ferguson to back the measure next session.

Hackney also renewed criticism of Washington's "Keeping Families Together Act" following the fentanyl-poisoning death of a 1-year-old whose mother was later charged with reckless endangerment and unlawful firearm possession. He argued the 2021 law's higher removal standard keeps at-risk children in unsafe homes, and separately introduced legislation to classify fentanyl exposure of a child as a felony, matching existing methamphetamine exposure statutes.

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson has unveiled a "new approach to gun violence" plan that calls on the state legislature to expand gun restrictions, including limits on firearms in "sensitive spaces," regulation near the city center, and changes to juvenile firearm possession and sentencing laws. Washington state law currently preempts most local gun regulation, meaning Seattle cannot enact carry bans on its own; any expanded restrictions would require state-level action. Existing rules already limit firearms in certain city-run stadiums and convention centers, with exceptions for concealed pistol license holders.

The proposal comes amid broader scrutiny of Wilson's nine-month tenure, marked by corporate departures, growing homeless encampments, recall efforts, and declining approval ratings. Critics note that a small number of repeat offenders are linked to a majority of the city's gun violence, and argue the plan does not address recidivism directly, instead focusing on legal gun owners. It remains unclear whether the state legislature will take up Wilson's proposed changes.

Two Washington residents, Melinda Jacobson and Dale Osterud, have filed a petition with King County Elections seeking to recall Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson, alleging she is "derelict in her duties" on public safety. The charges cite her handling of crime in the North Aurora, Chinatown-International District, and Belltown neighborhoods, the fatal Bite of Seattle shooting that killed three people, her decision to turn off CCTV cameras activated for the World Cup, and her firing of Police Chief Shon Barnes after a shooting at Seattle Center. Wilson's office called the petition without merit.

A King County Superior Court hearing is scheduled for Aug. 31 to determine whether the charges meet the legal threshold for a recall — malfeasance, misfeasance, or violation of an oath of office. Wilson and the petitioners may participate but are not required to; the prosecuting attorney's office and King County Elections remain neutral. If a judge approves, petitioners would have 180 days to gather more than 69,000 signatures — 25% of votes cast in the 2025 mayoral race — to force a special recall election. Past Washington recall efforts, including against Gov. Jay Inslee and former Mayor Jenny Durkan, have faced steep legal hurdles.

With about four weeks until Election Day, Florida's 13th congressional district remains one of the cycle's most closely watched races. Recent polling from Fox News and Inside Elections shows the seat shifting from "likely Republican" to "leaning Republican," signaling a tighter contest than previously expected.

Republican incumbent Anna Paulina Luna, who has held the seat since 2022, is campaigning on an anti-corruption record, citing her push to release Epstein-related files and efforts to ban congressional insider trading. Democratic challenger Leela Gray, a retired brigadier general, argues Luna's trading-ban proposal is incomplete and is calling for a broader ban on stock trading, prediction-market betting, and donor-linked investments across all three branches of government. Gray has accused Luna of conflicts of interest tied to a donor's oil company, while Luna has countered that Gray has downplayed her own financial ties to pharmaceutical and banking interests. Both campaigns deny the other's claims as voters prepare to decide the race.

Republican U.S. House candidate Michael Bouchard released his first general election video ad, "Jump," in which the former Army paratrooper leaps from a plane while pledging to fight socialism if elected to represent Michigan's 10th District. The Rochester Hills candidate's campaign says the ad is part of a seven-figure television and social media push, funded entirely with campaign money, in a race political handicappers rate as a toss-up.

Bouchard will face Democratic nominee Christina Hines, a former Wayne County special victims prosecutor, in November. The winner succeeds GOP Rep. John James, who is running for Michigan governor instead of seeking reelection. The 10th District covers southern Macomb County and Rochester/Rochester Hills in Oakland County.

The ad is set to air during major sports broadcasts and prime programming, with some slots costing tens of thousands of dollars. Bouchard holds an early fundraising edge, reporting roughly $960,000 on hand versus Hines's approximately $160,000, though her campaign has yet to release its first ad.