Erika Creydt, Blaine school district’s currently longest serving board member, is running for a seat in the Washington State Senate.
Creydt, running as a Republican, announced her campaign for the 42nd Legislative District on January 17. She will look to replace Democrat Senator Sharon Shewmake, who announced in December that she would not seek reelection.
Port of Bellingham director Michael Shepard announced late last year he would run as a Democrat for the senate seat.
In a social media post announcing her campaign, Creydt said her work as a clinical psychologist helping children inspired her to run for office.
“I hear the quiet struggles that many families carry,” Creydt wrote. “I’ve sat with children who are hurting long before anyone notices, and with parents trying to navigate systems that weren’t built to support them. When a child’s mental health is ignored, their education suffers, and so does their future.”
Creydt is clinical director of TouchStone Counseling in Blaine and has a doctorate in clinical psychology from the Adler School in Chicago. She has worked in youth mental health for more than 20 years, according to her campaign announcement.
Creydt also mentioned heavy tax burdens affecting families throughout the state.
“We live in one of the highest-taxed states in the nation,” Creydt wrote. “When the system fails the people in our community, it hurts twice. First because so many families who have paid those taxes are themselves struggling to afford groceries, gas, and housing. Second, because the people that are supposed to be helped with those funds end up going without.”
Creydt has served on the Blaine school board since 2021, currently representing district 1 which includes downtown Blaine and Point Roberts. Her term is set to expire in December 2027.
The 42nd Legislative District represents most of Whatcom County save for the southern half of Bellingham, Sudden Valley and parts of Acme. Prior to state redistricting efforts in 2020, the 42nd district had voted in favor of Republican candidate Doug Ericksen, who won three consecutive elections in 2010, 2014 and 2018. Prior to that, Republican Dale Brandland served the 42nd district from 2003 to 2011.
Shewmake was the first Democrat to hold the office in nearly two decades.
The primary election is set for August 4 and the general election is November 3.
