Jaime Herrera Beutler

In October, Herrera was named one of Time Magazine's 40 under 40: "The Washington Republican survived a Tea Party challenge to win the GOP primary in the Evergreen State's 3rd Congressional District. Now Herrera, a 31-year-old Latina and former congressional staffer, has successfully recast herself as the outsider as she takes on a longtime Democratic pol in November."

In the November general election, Herrera defeated Heck, 53%–47%.

She won five of the district's six counties.

Jaime Lynn Herrera Beutler (born November 3, 1978) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for WA's 3rd congressional district from 2011 to 2023.

The district is in southwestern Washington, lying across the Columbia River from Oregon's Portland metropolitan area.

A Republican, Herrera Beutler previously served in the Washington House of Representatives.

In 2004, Herrera earned a B.A. in communications from the University of Washington.

Herrera served as an intern in both the Washington State Senate and in Washington, D. C., at the White House Office of Political Affairs.

In 2004, she was an intern in the office of Washington State Senator Joe Zarelli, who later supported her campaigns.

She was a senior legislative aide to U.S. Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers.

Herrera moved back to the 18th Legislative District to run for state representative, and was appointed to the Washington House of Representatives in 2007 to replace Richard Curtis, who resigned amid a sex scandal.

She won the 2008 election to retain her seat with 60% of the vote.

Herrera was elected as Assistant Floor Leader, the youngest member of her party's leadership in the State House.

Her first sponsored bill gave tax relief to business owners serving in the military.

Governor Christine Gregoire signed it into law on March 27, 2008.

During her time in the House, Herrera also opposed Senate Bill 5967, which mandated equal treatment of the sexes in community athletic programs run by cities, school districts, and private leagues.

Herrera ran for WA's 3rd congressional district when Democratic incumbent Brian Baird retired.

She advanced to the general election with 28% of the vote, well ahead of fellow Republican candidates David Hedrick and David Castillo.

State Representative Denny Heck, a Democrat, ranked first with 31% of the vote.

Herrera raised over $1.5 million in contributions, 62% of which came from individual contributors and 35% from political action committees.

The biggest single contributor was construction and mining contractor Kiewit Corporation, which gave her campaign over $16,000.

During the campaign, she received support from state Republican leaders Cathy McMorris Rodgers and former U.S. Senator Slade Gorton.

The Columbian called her "a rising star in the Republican Party".

In 2010, she was elected to Congress, going on to be re-elected five times.

She was eliminated in the 2022 blanket primary, finishing third, and was succeeded by Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez.

Herrera Beutler was one of ten Republicans to vote to impeach Donald Trump after the January 6 United States Capitol attack.

During Trump's Senate trial, she issued a statement (after both sides had rested their cases) that House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy had said that he spoke by phone with Trump during the Capitol riot, asking him "to publicly and forcefully call off the riot" and for help with resources to defend the Capitol.

According to Herrera Beutler, McCarthy said that Trump insisted that the rioters were with Antifa, not his supporters; McCarthy rejected the assertion.

Her statement, via Twitter, said, "That's when, according to McCarthy, the president said: 'Well, Kevin, I guess these people are more upset about the election than you are.'" The next day, lead House Impeachment Manager Jamie Raskin asked the Senate for permission to call Herrera Beutler as a witness.

Jaime Lynn Herrera was born in Glendale, California, the daughter of Candice Marie (Rough) and Armando D. Herrera.

Her father is of Mexican descent, and her mother has English, Irish, Scottish, and German ancestry.

She was raised in Ridgefield, where her father was a lithographer.

She was home-schooled through ninth grade, and graduated from Prairie High School, where she played basketball.

Heck later represented WA's 10th congressional district, serving alongside Herrera.

On December 22, 2010, she announced that she had taken her husband's name and would thenceforth call herself Jaime Herrera Beutler.

Herrera Beutler announced her candidacy for reelection in January 2012.

She quickly outraised her two opponents, Democrat Jon Haugen and Independent Norma Jean Stevens.

She won the open primary with 61% of the vote.

By the end of the campaign, she had raised more than $1.5 million to Haugen's $10,000.

She defeated Haugen 60%–40%.