--- title: "Larsen vs. Feller: 2026 Washington’s 2nd District race" url: "https://www.2026election.com/race/2026-house-wa-02" updated: "2026-08-05" source: "Candidates' campaign sites and Ballotpedia, quoted verbatim" publisher: "Pluribus" --- # 2026 Washington’s 2nd District race: Rick Larsen (D) vs. Edwin Feller (R) Rating: Safe D · Election: November 3, 2026 · Ballot checked: October 9, 2026 · Positions captured: August 5, 2026 Longtime Democratic incumbent Rick Larsen faces Republican challenger Edwin Feller in the general election for Washington's 2nd Congressional District following the August 4, 2026 top-two primary. Larsen, who has served in the House since 2001 and acts as the top Democrat on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, emphasizes infrastructure investments, healthcare expansion, reproductive rights, and immigration oversight. Feller, a Whatcom County native, runs on a conservative platform centered on public safety mandates, domestic energy sovereignty, merit-based immigration, and biological sex protections under Title IX. ## Candidates - **Rick Larsen** (Democrat) · [Campaign site](https://www.ricklarsen.org) · [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Rick_Larsen_%28Washington%29) - **Edwin Feller** (Republican) · [Campaign site](https://fellerforcongress.com/) · [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Edwin_Feller) ## Issues ### Cost of Living and Economy Salience: high Larsen favors minimum wage increases, childcare subsidies, and clean energy cost savings, whereas Feller blames high taxes and government spending for inflation and calls for balanced budgets. **Rick Larsen:** Lowering costs and supporting workers Larsen treats economic security as central to working families and advocates targeting household expenses directly. He supports raising the federal minimum wage to $17 per hour, expanding access to affordable childcare, strengthening labor unions, and investing in clean energy to lower utility bills. - Support raising the federal minimum wage to $17 per hour and guaranteeing equal pay. - Oppose sweeping tariffs and foreign conflicts that increase consumer costs. - Lower home energy costs through clean energy investments and energy efficiency programs. - Expand skills training and union apprenticeship pathways. > “I oppose policies that raise prices on families, like sweeping tariffs and reckless foreign wars, and I support practical steps that reduce costs, strengthen supply chains, lower utility bills through clean energy and efficiency and invest in transportation choices that save people money.” > — Rick Larsen, via [Campaign site](https://www.ricklarsen.org) **Edwin Feller:** Reducing taxes and cutting government Feller attributes the current affordability crisis directly to excessive federal taxation and overspending. He advocates responsible economic stewardship, balanced federal budgets, and reducing government size to unleash private economic growth. - Cut federal taxes to address the affordability crisis. - Promote balanced federal budgets and fiscal restraint. - Reduce federal regulatory burdens on businesses and workers. > “Feller believes that the affordability crisis is self-inflicted due to taxes being too high, and the government has grown too big.” > — Edwin Feller, via [Campaign site](https://fellerforcongress.com/) ### Border Security and Immigration Salience: high Larsen demands strict oversight of ICE and opposes private or family detention, while Feller seeks to overhaul immigration into a merit-based system and eliminate sanctuary city protections. **Rick Larsen:** Demanding ICE oversight and humane detention Larsen refuses to vote for full-year Homeland Security or ICE funding without strict operational oversight and accountability. He advocates ending child and family detention, banning private for-profit detention centers, and ensuring humane facility standards, while voting against conservative enforcement bills. - Condition DHS and ICE funding on officer training, visible identification, and body camera usage. - Prohibit DHS from utilizing private, for-profit detention facilities. - End child and family detention while guaranteeing detainees medical care and legal counsel. - Voted Nay on the Laken Riley Act and DUI deportation legislation. > “I will not vote for any full-year funding for the Department of Homeland Security and ICE that fails to create oversight and accountability.” > — Rick Larsen, via [Campaign site](https://www.ricklarsen.org) **Edwin Feller:** Instituting merit-based immigration and enforcement Feller advocates a complete overhaul of legal immigration to prioritize nuclear families and a merit-based points system. He supports ending chain migration, terminating sanctuary policies, securing borders, and designating drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. - End chain migration and establish a merit-based points immigration system. - Eliminate sanctuary policies and tie federal funding to local immigration enforcement cooperation. - Designate transnational drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. > “Overhauling immigration to prioritize nuclear families and a merit-based points system, ensuring legal immigration serves American workers and our local economy.” > — Edwin Feller, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Edwin_Feller) ### Public Safety and Fentanyl Salience: high Larsen treats drug addiction primarily as a public health disease requiring recovery funding, whereas Feller mandates strict law enforcement cooperation and conditions federal grants on ending sanctuary policies. **Rick Larsen:** Funding addiction recovery and law enforcement Larsen approaches the fentanyl crisis as a public health issue that requires robust federal funding for prevention and treatment. He works to strengthen law enforcement coordination with local and Tribal entities to disrupt drug distribution networks. - Treat substance addiction as a public health disease by expanding prevention and recovery funding. - Coordinate federal support with Tribal communities, local government, and health providers. - Provide targeted law enforcement resources to prosecute illicit drug traffickers. > “I believe that addiction is a disease, and I am working to bring funding to local prevention and recovery services.” > — Rick Larsen, via [Campaign site](https://www.ricklarsen.org) **Edwin Feller:** Enforcing Safe Streets and anti-cartel measures Feller prioritizes law and order by tying federal municipal grants to local law enforcement cooperation. His safety platform centers on ending sanctuary policies, designating drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, and supporting first responders. - Implement a federal Safe Streets mandate tying grants to local police cooperation. - Designate drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. - End sanctuary city policies to restore public safety. > “Implementing a federal Safe Streets mandate tying grants to local cooperation, designating cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, and ending sanctuary policies to restore law and order in our communities.” > — Edwin Feller, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Edwin_Feller) ### Energy and Climate Policy Salience: medium Larsen favors federal investments in clean energy and marine conservation to curb climate change, while Feller advocates dismantling environmental mandates and carbon taxes to expand nuclear and hydro energy. **Rick Larsen:** Investing in clean energy and climate resilience Larsen considers climate change mitigation a top economic and environmental priority. He supports federal green energy job initiatives, expanded clean public transit, and conservation efforts across Puget Sound and the Northwest Straits. - Fund green jobs and clean transit options through federal infrastructure legislation. - Passed the Migratory Birds of the Americas Conservation Enhancements Act. - Reauthorized the Northwest Straits Commission to restore Puget Sound marine ecosystems. > “A healthy environment is vital to Washingtonians’ way of life and the regional economy – and that is why mitigating climate change must be a top priority.” > — Rick Larsen, via [Campaign site](https://www.ricklarsen.org) **Edwin Feller:** Dismantling green mandates and expanding nuclear Feller advocates energy sovereignty by removing environmental restrictions and expanding domestic production. He seeks to repeal federal carbon taxes, streamline permits, and boost nuclear and hydroelectric energy production to lower prices. - Repeal federal carbon taxes and dismantle radical environmental mandates. - Streamline energy permitting processes for domestic producers. - Expand nuclear power generation and hydroelectric capacity. > “Dismantling radical environmental mandates, streamlining energy permits, expanding nuclear and hydroelectric capacity, and repealing federal carbon taxes to deliver affordable, reliable American-made energy.” > — Edwin Feller, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Edwin_Feller) ### Gender, LGBTQ+, and Parental Rights Salience: medium Larsen voted against federal bans on transgender athletes in women's sports, whereas Feller advocates banning minor gender procedures and restricting Title IX to biological sex. **Rick Larsen:** Opposing restrictions on transgender youth and sports Larsen supports LGBTQ+ rights and opposes federal restrictions on transgender youth and sports participation. He voted against the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025. - Voted Nay on the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025. - Oppose federal restrictions that target transgender individuals in sports or healthcare. **Edwin Feller:** Banning minor gender procedures and defining Title IX Feller advocates restricting athletic programs based strictly on biological sex and protecting parental rights. He supports codifying Title IX to apply exclusively to biological sex and enacting a federal ban on gender-affirming medical procedures for minors. - Codify Title IX to define sex exclusively as biological sex in athletics. - Enact a federal Child Protection Act banning medical procedures for minors. - Protect parental rights against ideological experimentation. > “Codifying that "sex" in Title IX refers exclusively to biological sex, ensuring fairness and safety for female athletes across our collegiate and high school programs.” > — Edwin Feller, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Edwin_Feller) ### Voting Rights and Democratic Integrity Salience: medium Larsen explicitly rejects 2020 election denial claims and voted against the SAVE Act, whereas Feller generally endorses fair elections without detailed proposals. **Rick Larsen:** Defending voting access and election security Larsen prioritizes defending election accessibility and pushing back against election denialism. He voted against the SAVE Act and supports federal legislation to end partisan gerrymandering and mandate dark money disclosures. - Voted Nay on the SAVE Act proof-of-citizenship requirement. - Support federal bills to prohibit partisan gerrymandering and require dark money disclosures. - Refute claims of widespread fraud in recent presidential elections. > “Donald Trump lost the 2020 election. America's elections are secure, transparent, and run by state and local officials from both parties.” > — Rick Larsen, via [Campaign site](https://www.ricklarsen.org) **Edwin Feller:** Supporting fair election measures Feller broadly includes fair elections among his core values for representation, though he details no specific legislative proposals in the source material. - List fair elections as a foundational platform value. ### Healthcare and Senior Benefits Salience: high Larsen supports universal healthcare, Medicare price negotiation, and scrapping the Social Security tax cap, while Feller has no documented healthcare platform. **Rick Larsen:** Protecting ACA, Medicare, and Social Security Larsen views healthcare as a basic right and supports universal coverage. He highlights his votes allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices, capping insulin at $35 per month, and restoring ACA tax credits, while opposing any privatization of Medicare or Social Security. - Cap insulin costs at $35 a month and allow Medicare to negotiate prescription prices. - Expand Medicare coverage to include hearing benefits and close state Medicaid coverage gaps. - Protect Social Security and Medicare from privatization and lift the Social Security payroll tax cap. > “I believe health care is a right, and I support universal, affordable coverage.” > — Rick Larsen, via [Campaign site](https://www.ricklarsen.org) **Edwin Feller:** No documented position in our sources ### Transportation and Infrastructure Salience: high Larsen leverages his senior committee position to direct federal funding to local transportation projects, whereas Feller offers no specific infrastructure proposals. **Rick Larsen:** Expanding regional transit and aviation investments As the top Democrat on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Larsen focuses heavily on delivering federal investments for regional roads, transit, bridges, and aviation manufacturing. He actively opposes federal clawbacks of infrastructure funding. - Secured federal funds for local bridges, transit, and highway safety via the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. - Promote the Pacific Northwest aviation and aerospace industry as a regional job creator. - Fight federal grant clawbacks that put local infrastructure projects at risk. > “In Washington state, transportation means jobs. You cannot have a big league economy with a little league infrastructure.” > — Rick Larsen, via [Campaign site](https://www.ricklarsen.org) **Edwin Feller:** No documented position in our sources ### Reproductive Freedom Salience: medium Larsen strongly supports enshrining federal abortion rights into law, while Feller has no documented stance on reproductive rights. **Rick Larsen:** Codifying Roe v. Wade nationwide Larsen maintains a 100% pro-choice voting record and advocates suspending the Senate filibuster to pass the Women's Health Protection Act. He actively works to defend medication abortion via telehealth and ensure women can travel across state lines for care. - Suspend the Senate filibuster to pass the Women's Health Protection Act codifying Roe v. Wade. - Protect telehealth prescribing access for medication abortion. - Defend legal protections for patients traveling out-of-state for abortion care. > “I support suspending the filibuster to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would re-establish a nationwide right to abortion and enshrine the protections of Roe v. Wade into federal law.” > — Rick Larsen, via [Campaign site](https://www.ricklarsen.org) **Edwin Feller:** No documented position in our sources ### Housing Affordability Salience: medium Larsen advocates expanded federal tax incentives and infrastructure resources for affordable housing, whereas Feller offers no documented housing platform. **Rick Larsen:** Expanding housing supply and tax incentives Larsen addresses rising regional housing costs by supporting federal resources to expand affordable housing inventory. He advocates strengthening housing tax incentives, supporting first-time buyers, and directing infrastructure money to local housing projects. - Strengthen federal housing tax incentives to build more affordable units. - Provide federal assistance for first-time homebuyers and renters. - Partner with local municipal leaders to secure infrastructure resources for housing. > “Increasing the supply of affordable homes, supporting first-time homebuyers and renters, strengthening housing tax incentives, and investing in local infrastructure are essential to tackling the rising costs of housing.” > — Rick Larsen, via [Campaign site](https://www.ricklarsen.org) **Edwin Feller:** No documented position in our sources ### Veterans Affairs Salience: low Larsen presents a detailed veterans platform expanding VA healthcare benefits and housing assistance, while Feller has no documented veterans policy. **Rick Larsen:** Expanding veteran healthcare, IVF, and housing Representing over 50,000 veterans, Larsen works to expand VA healthcare, career training, and housing options. He advocates covering IVF and adoption assistance for veterans, allowing pre-deployment fertility freezing, and offering tax incentives for hiring veterans. - Expand VA healthcare coverage to include IVF and adoption assistance. - Allow servicemembers to freeze eggs or sperm prior to combat deployment. - Provide tax credits to businesses hiring Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans. - Fund programs placing homeless veterans into permanent housing. > “I am working to expand fertility and family-building services that are covered under servicemembers’ and veterans’ health care to include in vitro fertilization (IVF) and adoption assistance, for servicemembers and veterans who are unable to conceive without assistance...” > — Rick Larsen, via [Campaign site](https://www.ricklarsen.org) **Edwin Feller:** No documented position in our sources ## Polls and markets _Updated Oct 31._ - [Polymarket](https://polymarket.com/event/wa-02-house-election-winner) — WA-02 House Election Winner: Democrats 96.7%, Republicans 3.0% - [Kalshi](https://kalshi.com/events/KXHOUSERACE-WA02-26) — WA-02 House winner?: Rick Larsen 97.0%, Edwin Feller 3.9% - [Kalshi](https://kalshi.com/events/KXWAPRIMARY-0226) — WA-02 primary: who will advance?: Rick Larsen 99.0%, Edwin Feller 97.0%, Tomas Scheel 1.0% [View this race on 2026election.com](https://www.2026election.com/race/2026-house-wa-02)