Election: Whatcom County Council’s District 3 could be key to supermajority
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Whatcom County Elections 2025
These are the Whatcom County races we’re following for the Nov. 4, 2025 election.
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Challengers Jessica Rienstra and Kyle Christensen, who ousted incumbent Whatcom County Councilmember Tyler Byrd in the August primary, are squaring off in the Nov. 4 general election, with a chance at giving the panel’s liberal voting bloc a 5-2 supermajority.
Byrd served two four-year terms representing Whatcom County Council District 3, which includes the cities of Everson, Nooksack and Sumas, along with the foothill communities of Kendall, Maple Falls and Glacier, the South Fork Valley communities of Acme, Clipper and Van Zandt, and Geneva and Sudden Valley east of Bellingham.
Byrd placed third in a four-way primary where the top two candidates advance to the general election. Rienstra placed first with 50% of the primary vote and Christensen was second with 23%.
Large rural areas of District 3 swung blue in the 2024 election, according to a New York Times precinct map.
District 3 is the largest of five County Council districts. There are also two at-large members on the seven-member council. The County Council makes laws, appoints members of advisory committees and controls the purse through its budget authority.
Only registered voters in District 3 can vote in this race. Ballots will be mailed to registered voters Wednesday and must be postmarked or placed in a drop box by 8 p.m. Nov. 4 in Washington’s all-mail election.
All County Council races are nonpartisan, but the two major parties usually endorse candidates. In recent years, the council has had a 4-3 liberal advantage.
Two races this year could change that —the District 3 race and the at-large race between Councilman Barry Buchanan and Misty Flowers, who heads the county Republican Party. If both races go to left-leaning candidates, the County Council would have a supermajority.
A five-vote supermajority is required for the County Council to pass some charter amendments or to override a veto by the county executive. Five votes are required for certain budget matters.
Jessica Rienstra
Jessica Rienstra of Nooksack works as a psychiatric nurse practitioner and has a business providing remote telehealth.
She is an elected member of the 2025 Charter Review Commission, which meets every 10 years to consider changes to the Whatcom County Charter, which is like its constitution.
Rienstra lives in Nooksack and grew up in Lynden. She was home-schooled and also attended Bellingham Christian and Lynden public schools. She earned a master’s degree in nursing from Gonzaga University by working her way from nursing assistant to nurse practitioner — studying at Whatcom Community College, Bellingham Technical College, and earning a BS in nursing from Western Washington University. She provided medical relief work and aid delivery in Mozambique and Sudan and set up and managed a pediatric health clinic for a children’s home in Madagascar.
Rienstra told The Herald that she sees isolation and lack of services for rural residents as a key issue in her district.
“In rural areas, people are often physically cut off from things many take for granted: basic health care, steady internet, safe housing, or even nearby neighbors,” Rienstra said in an email. “But isolation isn’t just physical. It’s also social. When people don’t have connection or support, it wears on mental health, weakens communities, and makes it harder to get back on your feet when something goes wrong. You see it in seniors who live alone without transit options. In kids who struggle with anxiety or depression but can’t access care close to home. In families who drive long distances just to get to work, school or a doctor. And in people working two jobs who still can’t afford to live near where they work.”
“To fix this, we need to bring the basics closer to where people are. That means improving broadband and public transit. Making sure there’s housing people can actually afford. Supporting local health services, especially mental health and recovery programs. And creating and supporting places where people can connect, like parks, libraries, or community centers,” she said.
At a recent election forum held by the Bellingham City Club, Rienstra said that “social drivers” of health care such as access to housing, transportation, education and good jobs shape Whatcom County residents’ well-being.
“I really believe that where we live should not be determining how well we live,” she said.
According to her campaign website, she has endorsements from the Nooksack Indian Tribe and Lummi Nation; the Whatcom Democrats and the 40th and 42nd Legislative District Democrats; several labor unions, including Bellingham-Whatcom Firefighters IAFF Local 106; the Sierra Club and other environmental organizations; Planned Parenthood, the Alliance for Gun Responsibility; the Washington Housing Alliance Action Fund; and the Riveters Collective. Rienstra is also endorsed by Sheriff Donnell Tanksley and Prosecutor Eric Richey, as well as County Council members Kaylee Galloway, Jon Scanlon, Todd Donovan and Barry Buchanan.
Rienstra raised $39,794 for her campaign through Oct. 8, according to the Public Disclosure Commission. About half that total was from individual contributions.
Kyle Christensen
Kyle Christensen is director of the Whatcom Long Term Recovery Group, a nonprofit that is helping victims of the 2021 floods.
Christensen is a former mayor of Sumas and former flood recovery manager for Whatcom County. He has been a Umatilla County (Ore.) sheriff’s deputy, a volunteer firefighter in Sumas and a real estate agent. He has served on several government committees, including the Whatcom County Housing Advisory Committee. As mayor of Sumas, Christensen was a key figure in the floods of January 2020 and November 2021, helping residents know that danger was coming, how to prepare, and organizing disaster response and directing recovery efforts.
“As the mayor of Sumas during the 2021 Nooksack flood, I led Sumas and the surrounding communities through the greatest crisis in a century. Afterward, I managed Whatcom County’s recovery process, built relationships, and secured resources to restore our county and address ongoing flooding. We must do everything we can to protect life and property from future flooding disasters,” Christensen told The Bellingham Herald in an email.
“We will champion investments in infrastructure, broadband, economic growth, and emergency services, ensuring no corner of our district is overlooked. I’ll work to lower, not raise, your property taxes, because affordability matters. Together, we’ll protect our water, support local logging, and collaborate with state and federal leaders to solve the Nooksack River’s long-standing issues. It’s time to stop reacting to disasters and start preparing for them — because our communities deserve nothing less,” Christensen said.
In a recent election forum at the Bellingham City Club, Christensen discussed the three floods and their aftermath, and how that drove him toward public service.
“Being able to work together with people from all walks of life and bringing that collaboration was something that — even in a difficult situation, we were able to do a lot of great things to help a lot of people,” he said.
According to his campaign website, Christensen is endorsed by the Whatcom Republicans, Sumas Mayor Bruce Bosch, Everson Mayor John Perry, Nooksack Mayor Kevin Hester, Lynden Mayor Scott Korthuis and Whatcom County Council member Mark Stremler.
He raised $37,688 for his campaign through Oct. 8, according to the Public Disclosure Commission. Almost all of that total was from individual contributions.
This story was originally published October 14, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
