December 18, 2021 Tri City Harold by Robert Mittendorf
State Sen. Doug Ericksen, who represented Whatcom County with a strong conservative voice for more than three decades in the Legislature, has died, according to a Saturday afternoon press release from the Washington Senate Republican Caucus. The press release said the caucus received a communication from Ericksen’s wife Tasha and his two daughters that said “We are heartbroken to share that our husband and father passed away on Friday, Dec. 17. Please keep our family in your prayers and thank you for continuing to respect our privacy in this extremely difficult time.” Ericksen, 52, died after testing positive for Covid-19 while in El Salvador, according to a Nov. 11 message he sent through legislative channels asking his colleagues for help getting advanced treatment for the virus.
Few details have offered since Nov. 19, when a family friend told The Bellingham Herald that Ericksen was recovering. He is survived by his wife, Tasha Ericksen, who teaches at Sehome High, and two grown daughters, Addi and Elsa.
Ericksen, R-Ferndale, served in the state House from 1998 to 2010, and in the Senate since 2010, representing the 42nd Legislative District, which covers Bellingham’s northern neighborhoods and the rest of Whatcom County. In a 2018 interview, he told The Bellingham Herald that he believed that Whatcom County was a microcosm of Washington state, with Bellingham representing the liberal west side and the rest of the county representing the conservative east side.
In the Senate, Ericksen was the ranking member of the Environment, Energy and Technology Committee and served on the Higher Education and Workforce Development Committee. A strong supporter of former President Donald Trump, Ericksen arranged for Trump to hold a rally in Lynden during the 2016 presidential campaign. Ericksen had a bachelor’s degree in government from Cornell University and a master’s degree in political science and environmental policy from Western Washington University. Indigenous Affairs Weekly roundup of news affecting Native American communities in the Northwest.
In November, Ericksen spokesman Erik Smith told The Herald that he was unsure if Ericksen had been vaccinated against Covid-19. Ericksen has opposed vaccine mandates and pushed the state to ease many social-distancing measures enacted to fight the new coronavirus pandemic. In the most recent legislative session, he proposed a bill to prevent discrimination against unvaccinated people in employment, education, public accommodations or
His seat will be filled by the Whatcom County Council, whose members will vote from a list of candidates submitted by the Whatcom Republicans, according to the state constitution. Meanwhile, state Rep. Sharon Shewmake, D-Bellingham, has said she intends to seek the Ericksen’s 42nd District Senate seat. After Ericksee’s Nov. 11 appeal for help, an air ambulance took him from El Salvador to a Fort Lauderdale, Fla., hospital, where his condition had been improving, former state Rep. Luanne Van Werven told The Herald on Nov. 19. Van Werven told The Herald that she texted with Ericksen and spoke to his wife by telephone. Since then, repeated phone calls and text messages from The Herald to Ericksen and his family have gone unanswered. More here
Ericksen left legacy of love of family, community
Washington State Senate Republican Caucus
Legislators sadden by the sudden loss of Senator Doug Ericksen
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