🗳️ Ballot Box 05/12/26

Note: This is an occasional subscriber-only newsletter covering the upcoming 2026 midterm election. Expect Ballot Box in your inbox every few months with the latest campaign news across Whatcom and Skagit counties. The next Ballot Box will arrive in your inbox in July, ahead of ballots being mailed out.

We finally know who’s going to be on the primary ballot this August. For me, it’s months of speculation and rumor-milling coming to fruition.

While some say the 2026 mid-term election will be the most consequential election since (checks notebook) 2024, for those of us in the Greater Washington area, this year’s elections offer a return to focus on local offices.

In Whatcom County, four candidates are running for county prosecuting attorney. This is the first time since 1934 that more than three candidates have run for the position. (How do I know this? I spent a recent Friday afternoon going through handwritten voter tallies at the Secretary of State Northwest Branch near the Western Washington University campus.) Don’t forget the race for the 42nd District state Senate seat that Sen. Sharon Shewmake is vacating come Dec. 31.

Meanwhile, Skagit County is gearing up for a slew of local elections, from prosecutor, county auditor and most importantly, County Commission position 3. The seat opened when former commissioner Lisa Janicki retired at the end of 2025.

For some of us, it can be pretty easy to forget the importance of local government when our attention spans and screens are dominated by Democrats’ five-alarm fire calls that democracy is dying under President Donald Trump’s second term and Republicans’ milquetoast claims that everything is OK.

But in fact, the impact of local elections can usually be seen right away. Just look at the Port of Bellingham and the upcoming expansion of its Board of Commissioners.

Last year, Whatcom County voters approved upping the commission from three members to five. By December, we had a new port district map that pretty much mirrored the Whatcom County council district map.

Six months later, six people are running for District Four and five people are running for District Five. I’ve seen at least three of those candidates at some of the last few port meetings. (Please come to port meetings if you’re running. There are plenty of chairs.)

Expansion isn’t sexy. But it is encouraging to see so many people get their feet in local government waters. And for a commission that’s had plenty of missteps in the last few years, new blood is welcome.

Monday was the last day for candidates to pull their names for consideration for the August Primary. I've rounded up a couple of the most compelling races in Whatcom and Skagit counties. If you want to see a more complete list of candidates, please go here.

42nd Legislative District, Senate

Prosecuting Attorney

Port of Bellingham, District 4

Port of Bellingham, District 5

40th Legislative District 40, House Position 2

County Commissioner Position 3

Auditor

It’s early yet in the election cycle, but the race for Sen. Shewmake’s seat is already the ninth most expensive race in the state, according to the Public Disclosure Commission, which tracks campaign spending.

The 42nd Senate seat is interesting. Since the late 1980s, Republicans have tended to occupy the seat (except for a brief four years when Democrat Georgia Gardner held the position in the '90s). That started to change in 2022, after the death of Republican Sen. Doug Ericksen. The Whatcom County Council appointed Simon Sefzik to the seat that January. Then came the challenge from Shewmake, who was then a member of the state House of Representatives.

I’m told it was a hotly contested race (Shewmake won by 1.3% of the vote) and something that our nascent newsroom could sink its teeth into. (I was living in South Dakota at the time and covering a nasty gubernatorial campaign.)

Now, with Shewmake bowing out to spend more time with family, the race is on. Bellingham Port Commissioner and Western Washington University prof Michael Shepard is seen as the likely hand-picked successor. But since he filed his intent to run in January, it’s looking less likely that he’s going to have an easy time of it.

For those who are unfamiliar with Shepard, he’s a typical Washington Democrat addressing affordability and preserving living-wage jobs. At the port, he tends to focus on how the government can be involved in ecological conservation while keeping trade industries alive. He can explain things in a simple manner, which is an underrated skill in my opinion.

From the right, we’ve got Blaine school board member and therapist Erika Creydt, who’s running on a platform of protecting our children’s future. CDN’s education reporter Charlotte Alden said Creydt was vocally critical of former Blaine Superintendent Chris Granger, pushing him repeatedly for more detailed information on the district's finances. But she's been supportive of interim superintendent Dan Chaplik since he began in 2025.

Then there’s Ryan Bowman, who has no party affiliation and seems to be running as an outsider candidate through his RISE platform: Renewal, Integration, Support and Employment.

And then, there's another Democrat challenger, former Whatcom County Democrat chair and current Lummi Nation science teacher Eammon Collins. He's pushing for better tax and stable housing policies. He kept a cool head about him last year when Bellingham City Council elections started to turn nasty with allegations of shifty endorsement processes.

I’m interested to see how these candidates distinguish themselves from one another. Email me if you’ve got ideas: [email protected].

Our award-winning Citizens Agenda initiative is back again this year. Keep an eye out for when we put out the call for everyone’s candidate questions. We use these in our candidate interviews and they help inform our stories during the election cycle.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the race for U.S. House of Representatives District 2. Unsurprisingly, this is Rep. Rick Larsen’s race to lose. He has three challengers: Ferndale’s own Tomas Scheel (Democrat), Lynden Republican Edwin Feller and Seattle Democrat Devin Hermanson. Hermanson unsuccessfully primaried Larsen in 2024.

The Maine Monitor: “I’m a Maine reporter who went to high school with Graham Platner. Here’s what explains his success” — Platner just secured the Democratic nomination to run against Sen. Susan Collins for this year's midterm election. It hasn't come easy, though: He’s had his own series of scandals, yet people still love this oyster-farming regular guy.

The NHL playoffs: Late nights have nothing on watching some bonkers hockey, with viewers treated to Stanley Cup final-type games almost every night. (I will not reveal my team lest I jinx them.)

NewDad: An Irish rock band whose 2025 album Altar has been on repeat in my house.