Carmela Conroy is running a close race in Washington’s 5th Congressional District, trailing Rep. Michael Baumgartner by about 1,857 votes in the latest county-reported tally that lists Baumgartner at 96,663 and Conroy at 94,806, according to local results compiled on election night.
The updated vote count from KXLY shows Baumgartner with 96,663 votes and Conroy with 94,806, with Conroy leading in Spokane County and holding leads in Whitman and Walla Walla counties while the incumbent maintains a narrow overall edge.
Local coverage from KREM confirms the rematch framing: Baumgartner defeated Conroy by more than 80,000 votes in 2024 and was running to hold the seat again in 2026, making the current tight margin notable for a district watchers consider historically mixed.
Election-night tallies reported by KXLY were timestamped as updated “1 min ago” on their results page and showed a small write-in total as well; KXLY explicitly notes Conroy is outpacing Baumgartner inside Spokane County while Baumgartner’s narrow lead holds at the district level.
Conroy, a Democrat and former prosecutor and U.S. diplomat, ran on lowering costs and public-safety issues in Eastern Washington; KREM’s background reporting on the race outlines her service as a Spokane County deputy prosecutor and a Foreign Service career, and describes Baumgartner’s prior statewide political roles.
Campaign finance context reported earlier in October by Range Media shows Baumgartner outraised Conroy, and local previews framed the contest as one national Democrats targeted as potentially competitive; both outlets noted the rematch quality of the race and the large 2024 margin Conroy seeks to reverse.
As results continue to be updated, the district-level count and the county-by-county breakdown will determine whether the narrow gap closes or widens; at the time of the local tallies KXLY and KREM published, provisional and outstanding ballots could still shift the final outcome.
Readers who want more on tight statewide contests can see reporting on a tight Minnesota Senate race and a Texas poll tie that illustrate other close 2026 contests.
Sources
- KXLY — provided the updated vote table with exact vote totals (Baumgartner 96,663; Conroy 94,806) and noted Conroy leading Spokane, Whitman and Walla Walla counties.
- KREM — supplied race background, confirmed this is a 2026 rematch and noted Baumgartner’s larger 2024 margin.
- Range Media — reported on campaign fundraising differences referenced in pre-election coverage.
