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In this year’s primary election in District 40, only the state Senate seat is contested. The district encompasses San Juan County as well as portions of Whatcom and Skagit counties including Anacortes, Burlington, and parts of Bellingham.
In the Washington state House of Representatives, Position 1 is represented by Democrat Debra Lekanoff and Position 2 is represented by Democrat Alex Ramel. Both representatives are running unchallenged to hold their seats for another two years.
This year, there will be a rematch for the Washington state Senate District 40 four-year term — in 2020 State Sen. Liz Lovelett, D-Anacortes, defeated Republican Charles Carrell in the general election. Both are running again.
Lovelett grew up in Anacortes, operated the indie record store The Business until 2010, and served on the Anacortes City Council for five years before being appointed to the state senate in 2019 following the resignation of Kevin Ranker.
Lovelett told Cascadia Daily News that she believes in conservation, justice and strengthening environmental protections. During her time in office, Lovelett has secured investments to protect and remediate the ecosystems of the Salish Sea, and has tackled housing issues, food security and access to health care. If reelected, she said she intends to continue her work on environmental and economic issues. She added that she loves working on infrastructure and ferries.
In the state voter guide released in June, Carrell stated, “I am running for the state senate because I feel that our current elected officials are not representing the will and best interests of the citizens.”
Carrell, a resident of Sedro-Woolley, served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1987-1991 and then worked at the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office from 1991-2023. For nine years he was the president of his union prior to retirement.
Carrell said that if elected he will work for parent’s rights, direct funds toward infrastructure including the state ferry system, and prioritize policies that improve the state’s crime and homelessness problems, rather than “throwing more money at the same organizations and hope that it will work this time.”
Lovelett and Carrell will likely both advance to the general election.
Julia Tellman writes about civic issues and anything else that happens to cross her desk; contact her at juliatellman@cascadiadaily.com.
