Whatcom County’s state Sen. Shewmake won’t seek re-election in 2026
State Sen. Sharon Shewmake of Bellingham, who led a Democratic effort to flip the 42nd Legislative District from red to blue, won’t be seeking re-election in 2026.
Shewmake told The Bellingham Herald that she wants to spend more time with her family. She will remain an assistant professor at Western Washington University, teaching environmental economics and other courses in the College of Business and Economics.
“Why, you ask? My kids,” Shewmake said in an email to 42nd District residents. “Their high school graduations seem far into the future, but I know it’ll come fast, and I don’t want to have missed the best parts because I was working in Olympia. It is not easy leaving something as fulfilling as public service but truthfully, it will be a relief to only have one job.”
As a political newcomer in 2018, Shewmake edged four-term Republican state Rep. Vincent Buys by less than 1,000 votes. She was the district’s lone Democrat until 2020, when she won re-election to the state House, and state Rep. Alicia Rule defeated three-term Republican state Rep. Luanne Van Werven.
After winning two terms in the state House, Shewmake defeated state Sen. Simon Sefzik, a Ferndale Republican who was appointed to finish the term of Doug Ericksen, who died in December 2021.
Her victory over Sefzik in 2022 made Shewmake first Democrat to represent the 42nd District in the state Senate in two decades. She chairs the Senate Environment, Energy and Technology Committee and serves on the Agriculture and Natural Resources and Transportation committees.
Shewmake said that even though she is leaving the Senate, she will give the 2026 legislative session her full focus.
“I have learned much and my biggest takeaway is that the government really does belong to the people and that individuals, when organized, can move mountains,” Shewmake said.
This story was originally published December 1, 2025 at 1:25 PM.
