Shewmake making bid for 42nd Senate seat held by Ericksen
State Rep. Sharon Shewmake said last week that she’ll run for the 42nd Legislative District seat held by state Sen. Doug Ericksen in 2022 instead of seeking re-election to the state House.
And two Democrats said this week that they intend to run for Shewmake’s seat in the House, setting up a primary challenge.
Shewmake, D-Bellingham, is an assistant professor of economics at Western Washington University and has a doctorate in agricultural and resource economics.
She was first elected to the state House in 2018, unseating incumbent Republican Rep. Vincent Buys, and won re-election in 2020.
“I’m running for Washington state Senate because I believe Whatcom County deserves a senator who understands the challenges you’re facing and who will work every bit as hard as you do,” Shewmake said in a statement Friday, Nov. 19.
In the House, Shewmake is a member of the Rural Development, Agriculture, & Natural Resources Committee and the Environment & Energy Committee.
Whatcom County’s 42nd Legislative District covers the northern part of Bellingham and northern Whatcom County — although districts are being redrawn to reflect demographic changes in the 2020 census.
The 42nd District has one Senate seat with a four-year term and two House seats with two-year terms.
Democratic Rep. Alicia Rule of Blaine holds the other House seat.
It was unknown if Ericksen, a Ferndale Republican, will be running for re-election.
He didn’t respond to a text message from The Bellingham Herald, and as of Friday, Nov. 19, Ericksen was in a Miami-area hospital, where he was recovering from a severe case of COVID-19.
Ericksen was elected to the Senate in 2010, after serving 12 years in the state House, and has been re-elected twice.
In her statement, Shewmake said her economics background will give her an edge analyzing proposed legislation.
“As the only economist in the legislature, it’s important to me that the numbers add up and that we’re exploring our options and using science, not ideology, to make decisions. That’s how I ended up with a reputation for showing up to meetings with a spreadsheet in Olympia,” she said.
“People are struggling to afford a home, childcare is hard to find and even harder to afford, we still feel the health and economic impacts of the pandemic, and now we will be rebuilding from devastating floods,” she said. “As an agricultural economist I look for ways that local farmers can be successful, and I am making sure we are thoughtful and effective when thinking about a clean energy future.”
Meanwhile, an aide to Gov. Jay Inslee and a Blaine City Council member said they’ll be seeking Shewmake’s 42nd District state House seat. Joe Timmons of Bellingham and Richard May of Blaine both made campaign announcements this week.
