2 votes separate WA Democrats in Bellingham-area state Senate race

Two votes separate two Democratic hopefuls as they battle for a chance at an open state Senate seat in northwest Washington.

Since election night, Bellingham port commissioner Michael Shepard has seen his lead dwindle over fellow Democrat Eamonn Collins. By Thursday night’s tally, Shepard was ahead 12,856 to Collins’ 12,854. Nearly 49,000 votes have been counted so far.

Collins was down two-and-a-half percentage points on Tuesday.

More votes will trickle in over the next week, with the Whatcom County elections office reporting just 439 ballots left to tabulate, though more could still arrive in the mail. Those 439 ballots likely cover multiple legislative districts in the county.

Collins said Thursday he’s confident he’ll overtake Shepard when all the votes are counted, noting late votes “favor grassroots progressive campaigns like this one.”

“I feel energized, I’ve been trying to just keep myself busy with months of deferred home maintenance,” he said. “I’m happy to be patient while they work through it.”

A machine recount is required if the difference between two candidates is under 0.5% of the total ballots cast and fewer than 2,000 votes. To trigger a manual recount, candidates have to be separated by fewer than 150 votes and 0.25% of the total votes.

Either candidate in November will face Republican Erika Creydt, a psychologist and Blaine school board member. She’s picked up 44.7% of the primary vote. 

They’re running to represent the 42nd Legislative District, covering north Bellingham and rural Whatcom County, including Ferndale, Lynden and Blaine.

The seat is open after Sen. Sharon Shewmake, D-Bellingham, opted not to seek reelection after serving in the Senate since 2022. She beat a Republican by just 900 votes in 2022. Before that, the seat had long been held by Republicans.

Collins, who previously served as a policy adviser in the U.S. Senate, appears to be the preferred candidate of the left, with support from the Washington Federation of State Employees and the district Democratic Party.

Shepard also has many union endorsements, as well as the backing of Shewmake and party establishment figures, including Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen. Shepard has also benefited from $7,000 in independent mailers supporting his campaign from the Jackson Legacy Fund, a business-friendly group that tries to elect moderate Democrats.

The primary indicates Democrats have a good shot at holding the seat, as the total of the two Democrats’ votes would be over 52%. The district has been turning bluer in recent years.

Before the latest tally late Thursday afternoon, Shepard said “it’s been a real privilege to run and I’m thrilled to have so much support.”

“I think we have two great candidates in this race on the Democratic side,” he added.

Shepard said a key difference between him and Collins is his years of countywide elected experience.

When Collins jumped into the race, he got a scolding from major local Democratic donors telling him he’d get “destroyed,” he said.

“When I decided to enter this race, exceptionally few people thought I had a chance against the Senate Democratic Caucus’ anointed successor.”

Creydt, the only Republican in the race, leads the fundraising battle, bringing in over $195,000. She’s spent just about all of it. Shepard has raised $104,000 and Collins $73,000.

A fourth candidate, Ryan Bowman, ran with no party affiliation but campaigned on his support of the state’s new income tax on higher earners. He’s earned 2.5% of the primary vote so far.

In another Democrat-on-Democrat battle for an open position, Luc Jasmin III surpassed Pam Kohlmeier for the second spot in the 3rd District race in Spokane for retiring Rep. Timm Ormsby’s seat. Jasmin now leads by nearly one percentage point, after the latest vote count Thursday.

And in the 29th District in Tacoma, Democrat Patrick Stickney leads Natasha Laitila, also a Democrat, by 172 votes for the second spot in that race. Another Democrat, Tacoma Deputy Mayor Joe Bushnell, leads the race for the position opened by Rep. Sharlett Mena seeking an opening in the state Senate.

The top two candidates in Washington primaries advance to the general election regardless of party.

This story was updated with comment from Eamonn Collins.