Washington's 5th congressional district encompasses the Eastern Washington counties of Ferry, Stevens, Pend Oreille, Lincoln, Spokane, Whitman, Walla Walla, Columbia, Garfield, and Asotin, along with parts of Adams and Franklin. It is centered on Spokane, the state's second largest city.
Since 2025, the 5th district has been represented in the U.S. House of Representatives by Michael Baumgartner, a Republican. The seat was held by former Democratic Speaker of the House Tom Foley between 1965 and 1995 before he lost reelection to George Nethercutt in 1994.
In presidential elections, the 5th district was once fairly competitive, but in recent years has generally been a safe bet for the Republicans. John McCain only narrowly won the district in 2008 with 52% of the vote. Mitt Romney won the district with 56% in 2012, while Donald Trump won this district all three times he ran, with 53% in both 2016 and 2020, and 54% in 2024.
The first election in the 5th district was in 1914, won by Democrat Clarence Dill. Following the 1910 census, Washington gained two seats in the U.S. House, from three to five, but did not reapportion for the 1912 election. The two new seats were elected as statewide at-large, with each voter casting ballots for three congressional seats, their district and two at-large. After that election, the state was reapportioned to five districts for the 1914 election. The state's 6th district was added after the 1930 census and first contested in the 1932 election.
For the 118th and successive Congresses (based on redistricting following the 2020 census), the district contains all or portions of the following counties and communities:
Adams County (4)
Asotin County (5)
Columbia County (2)
Ferry County (12)
Franklin County (4)
Garfield County (2)
Lincoln County (8)
Spokane County (20)
Stevens County (11)
Walla Walla County (10)
Whitman County (17)