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Baumgartner and Conroy clash over affordability in 5th District debate
Topic: A Spokane debate for Washington’s 5th Congressional District between incumbent Rep.
Updated Oct 16, 2026, 2:28 PM ET
Carmela Conroy, a Democrat, former U.S. consul general in Lahore and former chair of the Spokane County Democratic Party, faces Republican incumbent Michael Baumgartner for Washington's 5th congressional district in 2026.
2026 Races & Market Forecast
Live TruthIndex™ and prediction market consensus for races contested by Carmela Conroy.
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Live News
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Baumgartner and Conroy 5th District debate |
Carmela Conroy is the Democratic candidate in Washington’s 5th District (WA-05) featured in a local debate with her opponent, Baumgartner. The article covers the Oct.
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- Born
- April 17, 1962
- Education
- Central Valley High School (1980)
University of Washington (Bachelor of Arts in international trade and investment)
University of Washington School of Law (Juris Doctor)
U.S. Naval War College (master's degree in national security studies, 2004)
Biography & Campaign Analysis
Background
Carmela Conroy was born on April 17, 1962, and was raised in Spokane Valley, Washington, graduating from Central Valley High School in 1980.
She earned a Bachelor of Arts in international trade and investment from the University of Washington, then a Juris Doctor from the University of Washington School of Law, where she served as president of the Student Bar Association.
She later completed a master's degree in national security studies with highest distinction at the U.S. Naval War College's College of Naval Command and Staff in 2004. Before her diplomatic career she worked as a deputy prosecutor in Spokane County and as a corporate lawyer for Nissan.
Career
Conroy joined the United States Foreign Service in 1996, with early postings in Auckland and Tokyo, and served as a watch officer in the State Department's Operations Center from 2000 to 2001.
In 2004 she joined the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Bamyan, Afghanistan, and she later served as refugee coordinator for Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran.
From 2009 to 2011 she was U.S. consul general in Lahore, Pakistan, where she was the senior U.S. diplomat responsible for the consulate's response to the 2011 detention of CIA security contractor Raymond Davis, work for which she received the CIA's Agency Seal Medal.
She was political and economic affairs counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Oslo from 2012 to 2015 and director of the FSI Yokohama Japanese Language and Area Training Center from 2018 to 2020.
Conroy chaired the Spokane County Democratic Party from February 28, 2022, to January 25, 2024, resigning to focus on a congressional campaign. In 2024 she advanced from an eleven-candidate primary for the open 5th district seat and lost the general election to Michael Baumgartner, 60.57% to 39.29%.
2026 race
Carmela Conroy announced in 2025 that she would run again for Washington's 5th congressional district, which encompasses much of eastern Washington, including Spokane, Pullman and Walla Walla. The seat is held by Republican Michael Baumgartner, who was elected with 60.6% of the vote in 2024.
In the August 4 top-two primary, Conroy finished second with 18.8% of the vote behind Baumgartner's 47.4%, edging independent Nate Powell, a firefighter and Marine veteran, who took 16.4%. She faces Baumgartner in the general election on November 3, 2026.