(The Center Square) – Ballots are due to be mailed out this Friday in the Washington state primary, with one of the closely watched state Senate contests playing out in Whatcom County’s Legislative District 42, where Democratic Sen. Sharon Shewmake is not seeking reelection and Republicans are hoping to potentially flip the seat to their side.
Republicans held the seat as recently as 2021.
Several Whatcom County residents will appear on the Aug. 4 ballot for the contest.
Bellingham Democrat Eamonn Collins who chairs the Whatcom Democrats is hoping to advance in the primary.
Collins is a science teacher at the Lummi Nation School and is campaigning on affordability and tax fairness, affordable housing, and keeping Whatcom County “proactive in the face of federal volatility,” according to a press release announcing his campaign.
He did not respond to repeated requests for an interview.
Bellingham Democrat and Port of Bellingham Commissioner Michael Shepard is also running and also did not respond to requests for an interview.
He is endorsed by Sen. Shewmake, who is giving up the seat.
He has “taught at Western Washington University, Northwest Indian College, and Whatcom Community College, working to support students and strengthen educational opportunity across the region,” according to his campaign website.
Republican Blaine School Board member Erika Creydt told The Center Square she jumped into the race in part because of her concerns about healthcare systems and the economic impact on working families.
“I feel like the only way these things can be fixed is an intervention at the systemic level. Our tax dollars are being sucked out of our local economies and our families wallets, and we don’t get better quality services, better resources, better roads, better schools, better, standard of living,” said Creydt in a July 10 interview with The Center Square.
“I was alarmed by the state income tax that got railroaded through this last short session, because I know that the people in my district and in my community don’t have an extra 10% margin to be giving towards a state income tax.”
The so-called millionaires’ tax is a 9.9% tax on income above $1 million dollars, or combined household income above that threshold.
Many opponents believe it could eventually lead to a tax on all income levels in Washington.
“They are crushing small businesses in our community, and we feel it firsthand,” said Creydt who owns and operates two mental health and community-focused enterprises in Whatcom County.
“We know that some of these ideas, they can seem like a good idea in theory, maybe well-intentioned, but in practical reality implementation stage, they can really crush a small business, and we see a lot of places closing their doors. A lot of people leaving the state.”
Ryan Bowman also filed to run in LD 42 without listing a party preference.
Friday July 17 is the deadline for ballots to be mailed out by county election offices. Ballots are automatically mailed to all registered voters.
The deadline to register online or update an address is July 27, or register and vote in person at a county voting center through Election Day.
Washington’s primary format means the top two vote-getters, regardless of party affiliation, advance to the general election.