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This year there will be a rematch for the Washington State Senate District 40 four-year term between Democrat Liz Lovelett of Anacortes and Republican Charles Carrell of Sedro-Woolley. In 2020 Lovelett defeated Carrell 69.5% to 30.4% in the general election.
District 40 encompasses San Juan County and portions of Whatcom and Skagit counties including Anacortes, Burlington, and parts of Bellingham.
Lovelett served on the Anacortes City Council for five years before being appointed to the state senate in 2019 following the resignation of Democrat Kevin Ranker.
Lovelett believes in strengthening environmental protections, conservation and justice. 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. Her campaign had received nearly $100,000 in donations by early September, according to the state Public Disclosure Commission.
Carrell has not responded to any interview requests from CDN reporters or the editorial board. His campaign has neither received nor spent a single dollar.
Carrell’s biography in the state primary election voter guide says he 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.
Despite being a Skagit County resident, Carrell appears to have also registered to run as a candidate for the Whatcom County charter review commission in District 3 (east Whatcom).
In this August’s primary election, Lovelett claimed 71.12% of the vote to Carrell’s 28.7%.
In the Washington House of Representatives, District 40 Position 1 is represented by Democrat Debra Lekanoff and Position 2 is represented by Democrat Alex Ramel. This year both representatives are running unchallenged to hold their seats. On primary Election Day, the pair released a joint statement:
“We are honored and grateful for the opportunity to continue to serve this community,” Lekanoff and Ramel wrote. “While we were unopposed in this election, we’ve continued to put our energy into listening to voters and bringing people together. The priorities we hear from the community will remain our priorities going forward: confronting the fentanyl crisis, stabilizing rents, science based water and energy policy, restoring reliable ferry service, and protecting reproductive freedom.”
Julia Tellman writes about civic issues and anything else that happens to cross her desk; contact her at juliatellman@cascadiadaily.com.
