Good Afternoon Whatcom Democrats,
Last night a blue wave swept across Whatcom County and the United States. I never thought in my life that we would see Texas and my home state (Lara) of Nevada go fully blue. Across local races in the 40th and 42nd legislative districts, we saw clear victories with large leads over the competition.
Representatives. Alex Ramel, Debra Lenaoff, Alicia Rule and Joe Timmons dominated the election with over 50% of votes. We are proud and excited to have these incredible leaders continue to represent Whatcom County. Michael Alvarez Shepard, our new state senator, also won his race by a large margin proving again that big money doesn’t win elections: real honest local people do. Jesse Corkern has won the race for the prosecuting attorney and we are excited to see him lead the way in shaping an accountable office that supports the rights and safety of everyone who calls this county home! Our two endorsed port commissioners, Tor Benson and Chris Elder also won their elections. Both are first time candidates whom we are excited to see more of in local Whatcom politics.
This victory is a result of all the incredible work we’ve collectively put into this election. Rep. Timmons said it best in a speech he gave during last night’s election party: politics is a team sport. You all have been incredible players. Late into the day yesterday, everyone in the Whatcom Democrats office and state party kept working, phone banking, and delivering ballots for those who couldn’t make it to the ballot box. Our campaign has spent the last several weeks signing first time voters up to vote, printing student ballots at WWU, and knocking over 11,440 doors. These victories would not have been possible without the hard work of our volunteers, campaign staff, and candidates.
Of our three state endorsed initiatives, I-638 has unfortunately passed, which will force young athlete girls to undergo invasive genital exams to play high school sports. This is a disappointing and dangerous result for female athletes throughout Washington State. There will be legal challenges to this law as it infringes on the rights of one gender of athlete. We will continue to fight for the rights of our transgender and LGBTQ+ community members and we will beat I-638 in time.
The other endorsed initiatives had the results we all hoped for, we are grateful for those who supported.
While we have much to celebrate, our work isn’t done. We encourage you all to stay engaged and connected with this work.
Thank you for all that you do!
Whatcom Democrats
